Safe or Tricky?
Look at a picture, choose safe, tricky or check with a grown-up, then see what could happen and who can help.
About 4 to 9 · Noticing what is safe and what is not, and knowing who can help.
Answer your way. Say it, point to it, sign it, tap a picture, or show a card or device. Every way counts the same.
Pick a set of cards
A note for grown-ups on this game
This game is a conversation starter. It is not a personal-safety program, and it does not replace one taught by a qualified educator, school, psychologist or speech pathologist.
Emergency number 000 is Australia's emergency number. It is mentioned once for review. If you live somewhere else, please use your local number.
The game talks about grown-ups you trust, in the plural. Children can say no, ask why, tell more than one grown-up, and keep telling until someone listens. Some safety instructions are good to follow, and the game explains the reason.
Real road, water and kitchen safety is learned by doing it with you, in the real place, over time. Pictures are only a way to start talking about it.
For grown-ups
Away from the screen: Walk round your home and talk about one safe thing and one tricky thing, and who you would ask.
This game is a conversation starter. It is not a personal-safety, anti-bullying, social-skills or wellbeing program and does not replace one from a qualified educator, school, psychologist or speech pathologist. If a child tells you someone is hurting them, or that they feel unsafe, listen, believe them, tell them they are not in trouble for telling, and get help from a trusted professional.
- Sit beside them for the first few goes and say the words as you tap, so they hear the sentence as well as see it.
- Wait a little longer than feels natural. Quiet thinking time is part of it.
- Any answer that works is a good answer. If they pick something you did not expect, ask them to tell you about it.
- Pointing, signing, a device or a picture card are all real answers. Speaking is never the test.
- Stop when it stops being fun. A few minutes, often, is better than a long sitting.
- These are games, not assessments. If you have concerns about speech or language, talk to a speech pathologist.
A game and a starting point, not therapy or an assessment. All Words and Talking games