Linden Library turns road safety into a fun holiday lesson for kids
Children aged four to 13 learned essential road rules during a lively school holiday programme in Linden.
Traffic lights came to life, stories took centre stage, and a school holiday afternoon at Linden Library became a lesson in staying safe on Johannesburg’s roads.
The library hosted its Smart Kids, Smart Roads programme on September 28, bringing children aged four to 13 together for an afternoon of storytelling, road-safety education and games.
Senior librarian Senzo Nkwanyana said the programme formed part of the library’s regular school-holiday activities, which aim to give children a reason to visit the library beyond borrowing books. “We always make sure that, for each and every school holiday, we have at least one holiday programme that is actually going to bring the kids to the library,” he said.
Read more: Linden Library holiday programme teaches children road safety
Road safety was chosen after the library noticed that some children did not always follow basic rules when using the roads.
The afternoon featured three main activities: story time, a lesson on road rules, and games based on traffic lights. Children learned about being safe pedestrians and cyclists, where they should sit in a car and the importance of not distracting drivers.
The traffic-light game was a particular highlight, with children acting out what happens at a traffic light and turning the lesson into an interactive activity.
Keeping children between four and 13 engaged presented a challenge, however, the younger children have shorter attention spans and older learners are already familiar with some road-safety concepts from school. Nkwanyana said the activities therefore had to keep the different age groups involved.
The library hopes the lessons will stay with the children beyond the programme, particularly when they encounter traffic lights or travel around their communities. Nkwanyana said children may even return to the library and share how they have used what they learned.
Nkwanyana encouraged community members interested in supporting future programmes to partner with the library.
For Linden Library, the aim is to make learning part of the fun while giving children practical lessons they can carry with them long after the holidays.
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