Learning How to Provide Important Personal Information

It can be scary for you and your son/daughter if he/she ever becomes lost. It’s important that your son/daughter knows how to give others important personal information, like his/her address, phone number and who to call if he/she is lost. Learn tips to teach your son/daughter how to give important information if he/she gets lost.

Which personal information is important for my son/daughter to give?

You can decide with your son/daughter which is most important to you and your family, but some of the basic important information is:

• Your son/daughter’s full name, including middle name
• Important phone numbers, like a family member’s home or cell phone number
• Home address
• Birthday
• Close friends of parents, including full names and phone numbers

What should my son/daughter tell if he/she is lost?

If your son/daughter is lost, who he/she should tell depends on his/her age:

• Young children should tell another parent or person who has children with them.
• Older children and adults should tell a police officer, store clerk (cashier) or another parent or person who has children with them.

How can I teach my son/daughter how to give this information if he/she is lost?

Think about ways your son/daughter learns best. Use those ways to help him/her remember and give important personal information.

• Ask your son/daughter for the same information, but use different questions. You can ask, “Where is your address?”, “What is our home phone number?” or “What is your birthday?”
• Repeat, repeat, repeat. Go over the information many times, even if your son/daughter has it memorized.
• Make a card that your son/daughter can keep in a backpack, wallet, pocket or purse.
• Have your son/daughter trace over his/her address, phone number or other important personal information. This way, he/she can practice writing and remembering the information.
• Make up a song about the information. Children and adults often remember things better when they’re singing or set to music.
• Practice with more than 1 person. Have your partner, another family member or a close friend help your son/daughter practice remembering and giving information.
• Role play. Have your son/daughter pretend he/she is lost and needs your help.
• Have your son/daughter find his/her personal information in a list of other information. This can help him/her learn to find important information when there is other information around it.
• Practice filling out different forms in writing and on the computer. This can help your son/daughter learn how to write or type in information in different formats.

Rev: 8/2016. This webpage is intended to provide health information so that you can be better informed. It is not a substitute for medical advice and should not be used to treatment of any medical conditions.