Teaching bus safety is a requirement, but it doesn’t have to be boring! You know how important it is for students to understand how to stay safe while riding on the bus, but expressing this message to them doesn’t always feel like it hits the mark. Thankfully, there are lots of ways to teach bus safety and make the learning process both enjoyable and memorable. With National Bus Safety Week 2024 just around the corner (October 21-25), now is the perfect time to talk about bus safety in your classroom!
What is Bus Safety?
Bus safety includes the rules and guidelines students need to follow in order to stay safe while riding a school bus.
The basics of bus safety include:
- Waiting patiently for the bus in a safe location
- How to board the bus calmly— no pushing or shoving!
- Staying seated and facing forward during the ride
- Keeping the aisle clear to avoid accidents
- Exiting the bus carefully and staying clear of the road once you’re off
National Bus Safety Week
National School Bus Safety Week is sponsored by the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT), an organization focused on ensuring kids get to and from school safely. During the third full week of October each year, schools across the country place extra emphasis on bus safety practices, and it’s a great opportunity for you to do so too!
Ways to Teach Bus Safety to Students
Understanding bus safety is necessary to keep kids safe, but it can be challenging to make sure these rules resonate with little ones in ways they will understand and remember.
As you know, simply listing off the rules isn’t going to work. Neither is practicing them once on a school bus each fall.
So, how can you teach bus safety in a way that’s fun, engaging, and memorable? Try these 5 tips:
1. Use Engaging Resources
Start out by teaching about bus safety using engaging, kid-friendly resources. Many of your young students may have never ridden a school bus before so it’s important to take time to explain all of the expectations clearly.
Use “Bus Promises and Problems” language to help students clearly understand what is expected of them when they ride a bus. Saying “bus promises” instead of “rules” helps students make a positive connection with this important concept.
This low-prep, interactive Bus Safety resource includes:
- Anchor chart sorting pieces
- Posters
- Differentiated writing pages
- Digital classroom slides
- Behavior picture cards
- Student certificates
2. Turn Bus Safety into a Game
Games are another great way to teach bus safety while getting your students moving! Use the Bus Ride Promises vs Bus Ride Problems game for a fun way to review bus safety rules and expectations.
How to Play
- Hang the Bus Promises and Bus Problems posters on opposite classroom walls.
- Read a behavior card.
- Students walk (or run!) to the poster that matches the behavior.
This game is a great way to foster student collaboration and a positive classroom environment while getting lots of important moving done in the process!
More About Movement in the Classroom
If you didn’t already know, there is real research that supports adding movement into your classroom.
Not only is movement good for improved focus and memory but for classroom management and academic success too! There’s really no reason NOT to look for opportunities to add fun movement into your school day.
3. Practice, Practice, Practice!
Next, incorporate lots of opportunities for additional practice with these rules to ensure students understand the importance of bus safety.
If possible, arrange a bus tour for your students. Walk them through the different parts of bus safety. Show them where the emergency exits are and how they work. Practice important rules and expectations in a natural, real-life way.
Getting to explore the bus can help students feel more comfortable and confident with bus safety rules when it’s time for them to ride a school bus.
No Bus? Role-play Instead!
If you’re unable to arrange a bus tour, just use role-playing within your classroom!
Move the desks or tables in your classroom to resemble a large school bus for large group role-playing. Practice basic bus safety rules together on your pretend bus.
Ask questions as you practice together:
- What should you do if your bookbag falls into the aisle?
- A younger student is getting onto the bus. How can you help them do so safely?
- The bus just stopped at a railroad crossing. What should you do?
To work in small groups, use individual tables or small groups of chairs to create buses. Give each set of students different situations to act out like boarding the bus safely or helping a younger student. Encourage students to collaborate as identify the bus safety rules groups act out.
4. Create Bus Safety
Another fun way to teach bus safety rules is to have students work together to design bus safety posters. These are perfect to use as bulletin board or hallway decor during National Bus Safety Week or the entire month of October!
Use poster board, large art paper, or bulletin board paper depending on the space you have to display the finished works of art.
Each group of students gets a large bus shape and set of bus parts, including wheels, windows, bumpers, light, and stops sign. Safety tip paper strips help students show what they know about bus safety.
This activity allows students to show off their creativity and serves as a daily reminder of the bus safety rules they’ve learned.
5. Incorporate Books to Teach Bus Safety
Finally, use kid-friendly books to teach bus safety to your students. Books are a great way to start discussions, reinforce important rules, and make learning fun and accessible for all students.
Check out these favorites and add them to your classroom library this year:
- Manners on the School Bus by Amanda Doering Tourville
- School Bus Safety by Sarah L. Schuette
- Be School Bus Safe by Anna Cavender
- The Little School Bus by Margery Cuyler
- Gus the Bus by Suzanne Bloom
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Make Dismissal Easy!
Now that your students clearly understand how to be safe, you need to make sure they get on the correct bus in the afternoons! Use the How We Go Home resource to make dismissal a breeze.
The editable dismissal tags can be used as bracelets or attached to backpacks so your favorite little learners are sure to get home safely!
*This resource includes options for bus, car, van, walking, daycare, and clubs so all of your students are covered!
Teaching students how to be safe while riding a bus is an important part of being a teacher, but it doesn’t have to feel like a chore. Use these 5 ways to teach bus safety to your students, and you can be confident that they will remember this important lesson!
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