* Make sure your children are taking the safest route to school and friends' houses, one that avoids danger spots like alleys, new construction, and wooded areas. Test walk it together. * Encourage your children to walk and play with friends, not alone, and to stay in well-lighted, open areas where others can see them. * Don't hang a house key around your child's neck. It's a telltale sign that you won't be at home when they return home from school. Put it inside a pocket or sock. * Teach your children to walk confidently and stay alert to what's going on around them. * Encourage your children to look out for other kid's safety and playgrounds, public restrooms, and empty buildings. * Teach your children to write down and report to you the licence numbers of people who offer rides, loiter around playgrounds or appear to follow them.