Nursery rhymes on the frontline for road safety

State Plan Priority S7: Safer Roads  

Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal today launched a new road safety initiative to improve
traffic awareness for young children – using well-known songs and nursery rhymes with a
road safety twist.
 
The Iemma Government’s NSW Centre for Road Safety developed the CD, Road Safety
Songs and Rhymes for Young Children, in conjunction with Macquarie University to
encourage road safety from a young age and to make the learning process enjoyable.
 
The initiative, part of the centre’s Kids and Traffic resources, will be distributed free to
more than 3000 licensed early childhood services across NSW including preschools, long
day care, occasional care, family day care and mobile children's services.
 
“This initiative encourages a lifetime of road safety awareness right from an early age,”
Mr Roozendaal said.
 
“The songs reinforce important road safety messages, from buckling up seatbelts and
wearing bike helmets to holding hands with a grown-up whenever cars are about. The
new CD will give staff in children’s services easy, practical and fun ways to make road
safety education a regular feature of their program.”
 
“Music is already an integral part of the daily routine in most early childhood settings. By
using well known tunes that staff, children and families are already familiar with we can
lay the foundations of road safety awareness in an easy and enjoyable way.”
 
Traditional songs and rhymes have been adapted to include a road safety focus with
lyrics like: “Twinkle twinkle little star, I wear my seatbelt in the car”.  
 
The CD has been developed in association with the Early Childhood Road Safety
Education Program at Macquarie University, with children from the university’s Banksia
Cottage Early Childhood Centre the first in NSW to trial the new resource. The CD covers
key road safety messages for this age group like: always hold an adult’s hand in the
traffic environment; always wear a helmet; always buckle up your seat belt; always use
the safety door to enter and exit the car; and always ask an adult where it’s safe to play.
 
Director of Macquarie University’s Early Childhood Road Safety Education Program
Maureen Fegan said children are responsive to music right from infancy and using music
to help children learn about their world is an effective education tool.
 
“Singing road safety songs with their children helps parents and carers to reinforce the
key road safety messages appropriate to this age group. It’s also a good reminder for
adults to take an active role in keeping our children safe and to make road safety part of
our daily conversations with them,” Ms Fegan said.
 
The NSW Centre for Road Safety supports children’s services in NSW through its Early
Childhood Road Safety Education Program. The new CD will make it easier for road
safety to be an on-going part of the daily program in all children’s services.
 
 Parents and carers can download a selection of songs from www.rta.nsw.gov.au