Holidays During War: Safety Rules a Child Should Know Before the First Summer Walk

Summer holidays should be a time for rest, movement, sun, friends, and restoring strength. But for Ukrainian children, this is no longer just a season without lessons. This is summer in wartime conditions, when alongside water, heat, ticks, and poisonous plants, another danger has appeared mines, tripwires, fragments, and suspicious objects. That is why the main task of adults is not to scare a child, but to give them clear rules. Rules that are easy to remember and follow. Because summer safety does not begin with the phrase “be careful,” but with a concrete understanding where not to go, what not to touch, when to call adults, and how to act if you feel unwell. Time for Action examined which rules should be repeated with children before the holidays so that summer rest is truly safe. The first and most serious rule of this summer is not to go to unchecked places. Forests, tree lines, abandoned roads, fields, roadsides, old paths, and areas where combat operations or movement of military equipment could have taken place are not suitable for walks. Even if a place looks beautiful, quiet, and “completely normal,” this does not mean it is safe. A tripwire is often hard to see. It may look like a wire, a cord, or a thin line low above the ground. Sometimes it is not visible at all. That is why a child must know a simple rule you can walk only where adults have allowed it, and you must not leave the checked route.

The second rule is even simpler: if you find something unfamiliar, do not touch it. This applies to everything a toy, a phone, a pen, a bag, a package, a can, a box, a piece of metal, a strange plastic part, or even an object that seems ordinary. Dangerous things can be disguised as something that sparks curiosity. That is why any find must be seen as a signal to stop, step away, and call an adult. For children, this can be explained very directly: if a thing is not yours and you do not know where it came from, your hands do not reach for it. Do not pick it up. Do not push it with your foot. Do not open it. Do not take photos of it up close. Do not show it to friends by carrying it in your hands. There is only one safe action move away and tell adults. The same applies to shell fragments and ammunition. A child should be shown approximately what dangerous objects may look like, but the main idea should not be that they learn to “identify” them. The main thing is that they do not check a find by themselves. Even a small fragment can be dangerous. Even an object that seems old or damaged does not become safe. A separate danger is attempts to “play” with found objects. Children may think that if something did not explode immediately, then it is no longer dangerous. This is a mistake. Ammunition must not be hit, thrown, taken apart, burned, carried, or brought home. It must not be shown off to friends. It must not be tested “for strength.” Such experiments can cost a life.

In the city, attention is also needed. Suspicious objects may lie not only in a forest or field. Someone else’s bag in transport, an abandoned package in a yard, a lost toy near a store, or a box at a bus stop is not a reason for curiosity. A child must know if you notice someone else’s item without an owner, do not touch it, tell adults. The second large area of summer safety is water. A river, lake, or sea may look calm, but near water one mistake can quickly become dangerous. Children need to be told swimming is allowed only in permitted places and only under adult supervision. If there is no adult nearby, water is not a place for experiments. Diving in an unfamiliar place is not allowed. Even if others have dived there. Even if the water seems deep. There may be stones, branches, metal, holes, or a sudden drop in depth at the bottom. A jump into such water can end in injury.

Another rule is not to go into the water immediately after spending a long time in the sun. First, it is necessary to stay in the shade, cool down, and get used to the temperature. The body does not like sudden changes: when a child overheats and then suddenly jumps into the water, this can become a serious strain. In the water, games where someone pulls someone down, grabs their arms or legs, restricts movement, or “jokingly” dunks them underwater are not allowed. For children, this may look like a game, but near water such jokes are dangerous. It is also not worth swimming far on inflatable rings, mattresses, or homemade rafts. They may seem reliable, but wind, current, or fatigue can quickly change the situation. If a child cannot swim, they must not enter water deeper than adults have allowed. Without special aids only to a safe depth. And even with a ring or armbands, a child does not become fully protected. The device helps, but it does not replace an adult’s attention.

Heat is another summer risk that children often underestimate. They may run, play, and not notice that the body is overheating. That is why in summer it is important to agree on simple rules a hat outdoors, active games not during the hottest hours, water always nearby. Sunbathing and staying under direct sunlight for a long time is safer before 11:00 or after 16:00. During the hottest time, it is better to choose shade, calmer games, or being indoors. A child must understand: going into the shade is not “being afraid of the sun,” but a normal way to take care of oneself.

Signs of overheating must not be ignored. If there is severe weakness, headache, nausea, hot skin, confusion, rapid breathing, accelerated heartbeat, or a very high temperature, the child must be moved immediately into the shade or a cool place, extra clothing must be removed, and cooling must begin. Cool water, a wet sheet, wiping, and a flow of cool air help. The child should drink water, but not icy water. If the condition is severe, there is shortness of breath, impaired consciousness, or problems with heartbeat, emergency medical help must be called. A separate summer rule is water every 20 minutes. A child does not always feel thirst in time, especially when absorbed in play. That is why a bottle of water in a backpack should be as ordinary as a phone or keys. In the heat, it is better to drink often and in small sips. Sweet drinks do not replace water. It is worth putting more than just a bottle into a summer backpack. A panama hat or cap, sunscreen, a small first-aid kit, tissues, and a snack that will not spoil in the heat will be useful. This does not make a walk complicated. It simply gives the child a safety reserve.

Nature in summer also requires attention. In a forest, park, mountains, or near a dacha, the rule works do not eat anything unfamiliar. Beautiful berries are not always edible. A mushroom that “looks normal” may be dangerous. A child must know: berries and mushrooms can be taken only with adults and only when adults are completely sure that it is safe. With mushrooms, it is better to be especially strict. If there is the slightest doubt do not take it. Do not taste them raw. Do not collect them near roads, landfills, or enterprises. And it is important to explain to a child boiling does not turn a poisonous mushroom into a safe one. That is why the main rule is not to take risks. Ticks are another reason to carefully inspect yourself after a walk. After a park, forest, or tall grass, the body must be checked behind the ears, under the knees, under the arms, in the groin area, on the neck, and in the hair. Before a walk, tick repellents can be used if they are suitable for the child by age and composition. If after a bite there is redness, a ring around the bite site, fever, or worsening well-being, a doctor should be consulted.

With wasps and bees, the rule is also simple do not wave your hands and do not panic. Sudden movements can only irritate the insect. If a sting happens, adults must be told. The sting site can be washed with soap and water, cooled, and in case of a strong reaction or a tendency to allergies, actions should follow a doctor’s recommendations. If after a sting it becomes hard to breathe, the face swells, or the child suddenly feels very unwell, this is a reason to call medical help immediately. In the mountains, forest, or tall grass, snakes should be remembered. The best protection is proper clothing: closed shoes, socks, long trousers. You must not move stumps, stones, or logs with your hands, climb into thick grass, or jump on haystacks. If a snake bites, the injured person should move as little as possible and wait for help. It is not allowed to suck out venom, apply a tourniquet, or burn the wound. Medical help is needed. Another dangerous summer plant is hogweed. It is large, noticeable, and may interest a child, but it must not be touched. Hogweed sap increases the skin’s sensitivity to the sun, and after that severe burns may appear. The most dangerous thing is to walk under its large leaves or break its stems. If a child has been in hogweed thickets, the sap should be washed off the skin with soap and water as soon as possible, and the child should not go out into the sun until the end of the day. In case of burns or strong redness, a doctor should be consulted.

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All these rules may seem obvious to adults. But for a child, what is obvious is not what an adult knows, but what has been clearly explained to them. That is why before the holidays it is worth not simply saying: “Be careful.” It is better to go through the main situations together.

What should you do if you see an unfamiliar object?
Do not touch it, move away, call an adult.

What should you do if friends invite you to swim without adults?
Do not go into the water.

What should you do if you feel unwell in the sun?
Go into the shade, tell adults, drink water.

What should you do if you see a beautiful berry or mushroom?
Do not eat it and do not take it without adults.

What should you do if an insect, tick, or snake bites you?
Tell adults immediately and do not hide it.

Children should be told one more thing: reporting danger is not “telling on someone” and not “panicking.” It is a normal responsible action. If a child sees a suspicious object, someone else’s bag, an unfamiliar find, a snake, a tick, or a friend who feels unwell, they must not stay silent, but call adults. Summer holidays should not turn into a list of bans. A child needs rest, movement, fresh air, friends, and a sense of freedom. But freedom without rules quickly becomes a risk. Especially during war. That is why the best thing adults can do before summer is to calmly and honestly discuss the main things with a child. Not scare, not pressure, not give long lectures. Explain briefly, confidently, and repeat several times using examples. Because safe holidays are not when a child sits at home. They are when a child knows how to act outside, near water, in the heat, in the forest, in the park, or on the playground. And when there are adults nearby who do not simply forbid, but have taught rules that can truly save a life.

Tags: child safety, holidays during war, mines, summer holidays, tripwires, water safety

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