Teaching Children How to React in Dangerous Situations

When play-acting or pretending, children often imagine themselves as superheroes capable of saving the world from harm. What most children don’t realize is that they can become real-life heroes, even at a very young age, by becoming proactive when they see a dangerous situation.

That is the mission of Jean Davidson, a former educator who founded the Yell and Tell Foundation focused on teaching children what to do when they see another in harm’s way. "Many times a child will run away or say nothing because they don’t want to get into trouble or be called a tattletale. Sometimes the child is so afraid they are too scared to do anything," Davidson said. “The Yell and Tell program teaches children how to take action and become heroes in four simple steps: ‘see it’ (something that is dangerous); ‘feel it’ (scared, not sure what to do); ‘yell it’ (yell help to attract attention); and ‘tell it’ (tell the closest adult).”

Davidson has developed a curriculum and materials for parents and teachers to help explain to children the importance of Yell and Tell through an interactive video, PowerPoint, and other resources available at www.yellandtell.com/parentsteachers. Lesson titles include: Danger at the Lake; Trouble at the Pool; Playing with Fire; Watch Out for Poison; Don’t Play with Guns; Child Enticement; and Bully Prevention.

The concept for Yell and Tell is based on Davidson’s personal experience. Her four-year-old grandson, Ryder, died in a water accident. The accident might have been prevented if only the other child on the scene had yelled for help instead of running away.

"My goal is that every child in the world knows to yell and tell if they see something dangerous," Davidson said.

In addition to the teaching program, Davison, and her daughter, Lori Walker, have authored three books in the Yell and Tell Safety Series: “Trouble at the Lake,”  “Trouble at the Park,” and “Trouble at the Playground.”

For more information on Yell and Tell, visit www.yellandtell.com.

Jean Davidson is an internationally-known author and speaker. She is the granddaughter of Walter Davidson, one of the founders and first president of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Her father, Gordon Davidson, was the vice president of manufacturing. For many years, she and her husband, John, owned the largest Harley-Davidson dealership in Wisconsin. She chose not to work at the company but to be a teacher of children with special needs. She is known as the Davidson family historian and has written numerous books on the family history.

Davidson now combines her Harley-Davidson book travels with spreading the Yell and Tell program. She lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, close to where it all began in her great grandfather’s shed. For more information about Jean go to at www.jeandavidson.com <http://www.jeandavidson.com>  and visit www.yellandtell.com <http://media.ne.cision.com/l/iqeevgnv/www.jeandavidson.com>  to help save the lives of our children.