Small Steps

Small Steps is an 8 week practical pedestrian training scheme for children. It was developed by us from the highly successful, government funded Kerbcraft project.

It introduces children in year 2 of primary school to basic road crossing strategies, which can be built on when they are old enough to begin making independent pedestrian journeys.

Training takes place at the roadside under the guidance of a co-ordinator and uses mainly parent volunteers to assist with training.

Small Steps is progressive and trains the children in 3 basic skills.

Finding a safer place to cross the road (3 weeks):

• awareness of obstructions to their and drivers view
• the different directions of traffic
• how to recognise a car is about to move
• dealing with driveways and access and exit points
• moving to safer places to cross when a dangerous crossing point is identified.

The dangers at junctions (2 weeks):

• the multiple directions that cars travel at junctions
• recognising a variety of different junctions
• never to cross at or near a junction.

Crossing between parked cars (3 weeks):

• children are taught never to cross between parked cars, unless it is impossible to find a safer place
• they are taught a repeatable 10 step strategy for dealing with crossing as safely as possible between parked cars.

In addition, and if time permits, extra sessions are available covering the blind spot, zebra crossings and puffin crossings.