The Kidsafe Demonstration House and Playground is currently closed and some services are limited until further notice.

However, you can still  contact us via the main Kidsafe b%DB%BE%A8%CA%BC%8C and phone number (02 9845 0899) if you have queries, require information or resources and we will  definitely get back to you.

Kidsafe NSW regularly  monitors updates from Australian health authorities and responds by ensuring our team operates in a safe and responsible way. Visit for more information:

• Australian Government Department of Health   
• NSW Health for specific information and COVID-19 resources, including translated fact sheets in many community languages 

We ask that you pass this message of thanks to all of the essential workers you might come across.  Extend kindness and gratitude. They are also mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and friends.  Just like us, they are managing their own worries and stress, but they are showing up day after day to ensure our community has what it needs.

There is no doubt that changes to our lives due to COVID-19 affect the whole family.  If you have been searching for a way to open up or continue conversations with your children about their fears and worries, check out this great video from Calm Kids Central, for 4 to 11 year olds, about coping with worries. 

Sesame Street and Headspace have come together to made a series of short videos on meditation for children.  Monster Meditations are six animated shorts to help children learn the fundamentals of mindfulness, meditation and social and emotional learning. The approximately 3-minute videos will cover topics such as feeling excited, disappointed, overwhelmed, impatient, nervous and frustrated.  You can find the videos here.

If children are struggling, they can call Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 or Youth Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636

If you or other adults are struggling, call Lifeline on 131 114, or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636

Right now, we are staying home to stay safe.  This can mean more opportunities to spend time together as a family, which can be both positive and challenging. Some top tips to make this time positive for the whole family include:

• Using daily routines
• Staying connected with others
• Giving positive attention to children
• Planning regular one-on-one time with each child

For more excellent suggestions visit Raising Children

To help children understand the importance of staying home to stay safe, check out this fun and catchy Wiggles video about the importance of social distancing during this time.

The Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians produced a fantastic resource full of great ideas to keep moving in your bubble called CoFIT19!  They remind us that by staying active with our families we get more energy, feel better, keep busy and can be lots of fun!

Get the full information here

COFIT content and image source:  Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians

Exercise Physiologist, Tina Bogg from the Children’s Hospital Institute of Sports Medicine (CHISM), Westmead, outlines great information for the whole family to stay active, fit and safe at home.  This includes activities for: 

• Young children (2 – 5 years)
  • Set up little circuits to walk/jump/run/hide around
  • Bowling with different items to make towers or different arrangements
  • Treasure and scavenger hunts, hide and seek
  • Sandpits, water play – messy play
  • Cardboard box cubby houses or for climbing
  • Scooters/bikes in the driveway or along the pathway
  • Online kids exercises (e.g. Cosmic Yoga), dancing
  • Play equipment – either formal or self-made – swings, slides, climbing, trampoline, laundry baskets, boxes, balls, pegs, make your own balance beam)
• Primary age children (5 to 11 years)
  • Scavenger hunts in the backyard or in the house
  • Practice sports skills in the backyard – shooting hoops, bowling, batting, set up dribbling drills with cones, obstacle courses, kicking the ball, shooting goals (into baskets/boxes if nothing available), throwing/catching with different sized balls
  • Handball variations – against the wall, or competing against siblings
  • Running, jumping, hopping, rolling, dancing, gymnastics
  • Circuits (star jumps, skipping, hopping, bouncing a ball, throw and catch) - could time each activity or be given a set number of repetitions, and be encouraged to compete against others or themselves
  • Martial arts
  • Ride scooters, bikes up the road / at the park
• Teenagers (12 to 16 years)
  • Backyard sports: badminton, cricket, soccer
  • Go for a walk/jog/run/bike ride on their own or with a friend (practicing social distancing)
  • Stretching
  • Skipping
  • Dancing, gymnastics,
  • Boxing, martial arts
  • Youtube yoga, Pilates workouts

(Content and image source:  Children’s Hospital Institute of Sports Medicine, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead (CHISM))

Visit the following websites for other fun ideas:

• Keep safe while growing plants - Grow Me Safely  
• Plant a vege garden – Kitchen Garden Foundation
• Create a magical kids garden
• Camping at Home
• Backyard Campouts

• Growing Kids Active Kids
  • I Can Do This: 5-8 years
  • School Rules: 9-11 years
  • Keen Teens: 12-14 years

Every year children are admitted to hospitals with severe injuries from low speed vehicle run overs. In some cases these injuries are fatal. Most low speed vehicle run over incidents involve a parent, relative or friend. Very young children are at greatest risk with most killed or injured being under 5 years of age.

Small children can be impossible to see from inside a car, especially if they are immediately behind it. The rear vision in most cars has a blind spot of up to 3m behind the car – this can easily obscure a child. Even if your car has parking sensors or a video camera fitted, you may not notice a small child until it is too late to stop.

Safety tips include:

• Always supervise children when a vehicle is being moved
• Separate play areas from the driveway and discourage any play in this area
• Make access to the driveway from the house difficult for a child, use locked security doors, fencing or gates
• Hold children’s hands whenever you are near vehicles
• Ensure that all children are holding the hand of an adult or are securely separated from the driveway or road when moving a vehicle.
• Place children securely in the vehicle while you move if you are the only adult at home and need to move a vehicle, even only a small distance
• Always walk around the car and check before moving it – even if you think children are secured indoors

The Department of Infrastructure and Transport has a brochure Driveway Safety – Are your kids at risk? Click here to download a copy

For more information visit Kidsafe NSW Driveway Safety

Did you know most cycling injuries don’t involve another vehicle, but occur when children fall off their bike after crashing into a pole, curb or fence?  The good news is that helmets help reduce injury!

Helmet fit:

• Measure your child’s head before purchasing in order to select the correct size.
• The helmet should fit firmly on the head with the chin strap securely fastened.
• Do the push test!  If the helmet can be pushed back and forward then it wwill not protect the head in a fall – it is too big.

To be effective a helmet has to be well fitted and has to be used every time!  Helmets should be worn when cycling, skateboarding, rollerblading and riding scooters.  If your child is a passenger in a fitted bicycle child seat or bike carrier, be sure they always wear a helmet, too!

Have your child wear a helmet anytime they ride a wheeled toy.  Tips for safe cycling include:

• Make sure the bike fits
• Be a positive role model, always wear a helmet and obey the road rules
• Ensure supervised riding of young children
• Learn the rules of the road
• Know the dangers of the driveway
• Wear bright coloured clothing

For more information go to Kidsafe NSW Bikes and Wheeled Toys  

NSW Health has an array of excellent resources addressing issues about COVID-19 in English, Arabic, Assyrian, Farsi, Urdu, Armenian, Croatian, Russian,  Bengali, Nepali, Punjabi, Tamil, Burmese, Karen, Swahili, Tibetan, Chinese – Simplified, Chinese – Traditional, Korean, Vietnamese, Dari, Khmer, Kurdish, Dinka, Kirundi, Samoan, Tongan, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, Greek, Italian, Macedonia, Polish, Indonesian, Japanese, Mongolian and Thai. 

Some of these have been developed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.  Click here to view and download. 

While the isolation restrictions are slowly being lifted in some places, overall, we are still spending most of our time at home and doing a bit (errr, a lot?) of online shopping!  It is important to ensure that the products purchased are safe.  Check out these top tips for ensure product safety:

• Know who the person or organisation you are buying from.  Check reviews and ratings, including Scamwatch.
• Check Product Safety Australia for recalls
• Make sure that the product meets the mandatory safety standards

Check out more  great advice about product safety at Product Safety Australia

Content source:  Product Safety Australia

Most school zones operate from 8:00 to 9:30am and 2:30 to 4:00pm during the school terms.  To keep our children safe, motorists must drive no faster than 40km/h through school zones or face possible fines and demerit points. 

Check out this video from Transport at NSW – Centre for Road Safety about the road rules in school zones. 

For information on school attendance schedules, contact your local school or visit  the NSW Department of Education.

Do you know of a great playground or would you like to nominate a wonderful playspace located at your local school or early childhood centre?

Watch this space for announcements and click here for entry details!

Did you know that Kidsafe NSW has a fantastic Facebook page?  If you like what you have read in this Newsletter, there is more great information on Facebook. If you haven’t already, be sure to like and follow us to stay up to date on excellent home, road, community and play safety tips!