Transition to kindergarten safely

Starting kindergarten often means new routines, unfamiliar surroundings and changes to the way children travel. It provides opportunities for children to begin developing road safety knowledge, safe travel behaviours and confidence on their journey to and from school.

Parents and carers can support their child’s safe travel by planning and practising the journey together, modelling safe behaviours and talking about how to stay safe near roads, driveways, car parks and public transport.

Schools can support children in transitioning safely to kindergarten by providing ongoing road safety learning and guidance before and during the first year of school.

Key topics to address:

• Learning the journey to school – becoming familiar with the route, school entrances, crossings and safe places to stop.
• Holding hands with an adult – reinforcing the importance of close adult supervision near roads, driveways and car parks.
• Using safe passenger behaviours – practising how to enter and exit vehicles safely, use an appropriate child restraint and wait in a safe place.
• Using pedestrian crossings safely – learning to stop, look, listen and think before crossing, with adult support.
• Recognising potential hazards – talking about moving vehicles, reversing cars, busy school zones and other risks children may encounter.
• Preparing for changes in routine – helping children understand what to do when plans change, such as on rainy days, when a different adult collects them, or when a parent or carer is running late.

This collaborative approach helps children develop confidence, establish safe travel routines and build the foundations for lifelong road safety.

Kindergarten orientation resources to share with families:

• Starting school safely: Parent and carer presentation (304.1MB PPT) (staff only)

Download this editable presentation supports schools with providing clear, contextualised road safety information to parents and carers. It can be used as a part of transition/orientation to school programs and/or during meet the teacher sessions at the start of the year.

• Road safety information for parents and carers flyer

This editable flyer on Canva can be used in conjunction with the ‘Starting school safely: Parent and carer presentation’ or as a stand-alone. It supports schools with providing clear, contextualised road safety information to parents and carers.

• Kindergarten Orientation Library Bag (Transport for NSW)

The Kindergarten Orientation Road Safety Library Bag is provided free of charge to NSW primary schools for use as part of Kindergarten Orientation activities. It provides a range of road safety resources and information for families with children starting primary school. The library bag is designed for children to use at school and to help promote the key road safety message of “Hold a grown-up’s hand when you cross the road.” (These can be only be ordered by schools)

• Starting school safely - Safe travel tips for Kindergarten families (PDF 3.32 MB)

This flyer is designed for schools to share with families in the first few weeks of Kindergarten. It provides simple, consistent reminders of key road safety messages and helps families establish safe travel routines that align with what children learn at school.

Additional resources:

• Early Stage 1 activities – Starting school safely

Includes activities for use in the first few weeks of kindergarten, resources to support communication with families, and teaching and learning materials aligned to the PDHPE K-6 syllabus.

• Getting ready for primary school

Department’s guide and resources for getting ready for primary school.