How to Get Your Kids Home Security Savvy

As much as you do all you can to ensure home security, there’s always the risk that the younger members of the family might not quite understand why certain security habits are so important. Keeping the kids educated about fundamental home security tips will help keep them, you and your home safe. Here are a few tips to help encourage your younger ones to be more security conscious.

Front Door Safety

Your front door is the first line of defence against unwanted intruders. Be certain to make a point of reminding your children never to answer the door to anyone they do not know, whether or not the caller is wearing a uniform. There are way too many instances of burglars posing as delivery drivers or workmen seeking to check out any flaws in your home security with a view to a quick and easy robbery at a later date.

Distraction burglaries – where a criminal calls at a home asking for help or posing as an official – are incredibly common. It is vital that the advice provided by the police and local councils is followed, such as always acknowledging potentially bogus callers, even though this may appear to be counter intuitive. There is plenty of useful advice in our post on bogus callers which is well worth a read and a share with your younger family members. Education is key to their safety.

Plug the Importance of Locking up

It’s so important to lock up, not just on your way out, but on your way in too. Did you know that almost a third of burglaries occur whilst someone is actually in the house? So be certain to reiterate to your kids the importance of locking the door behind you when you get home.

Bear in mind that younger generations are often engrossed in their devices. Headphones on and attention captured on-screen, tucked away in an upstairs hideaway, they may not realise that someone is attempting a break-in downstairs. So teach them to lock all the doors and close and lock any accessible windows so that chance intruders are prevented from gaining entry without being detected.

Alarm Education

The last thing you want is your teenager arriving home alone only to forget how to operate the intruder alarm or fail to remember the alarm code.

Choose an alarm code that works for everyone. Never let your kids write it down or stick a post-it on the control panel, but do encourage them to remember it somehow. Codes can be stored in a mobile phone and disguised as a phone number for example. As long as it’s not listed as ‘home alarm code’!

Take Care with Keys

One of the biggest issues with younger family members is their ability to lose keys. With so much going on in their lives, kids can be forgetful. Don’t however be tempted to hide keys under doormats or plant pots outside the front door. These are classic places where burglars look first, and remember that insurers won’t usually honour claims where there is no sign of forced entry. If you do want to leave a key for the kids so you can have peace of mind that they are not left out on the doorstep, ask a friend or neighbour to hold one for you, or use a secure key safe.

Go Smart with your Home Security

If you’re not confident about leaving your young ones home alone, how about investing in smart home security? By setting up plug and play CCTV cameras, you can check-in using a smartphone and make sure your loved ones are safe and well. Smart sensors will confirm that they’ve arrived home from school, and they’ll also let you know if doors or windows have been left open.

Share Home Security Advice

At Barry Bros Security we have all you need to secure your home, including expert advice. Our security blog is packed with useful guidance which you can share for free with your children. Send them something useful to read on their devices!