Practicing Your Phone Number

Back-to-school season is such a busy time of year that it can be easy to forget an important safety tip to teach your child—teaching them your phone number! As much as we may not like to rely on our phones, they are an everyday tool that can be pivotal in keeping you and your child safe.

Learning your phone number will be one of your child's best safety skills, giving both you and them an extra level of confidence. Whether you’re sending your kid to school or just to a friend's house, it’s important that they know how to reach you. Full transparency...my oldest learned it by listening to me repeat it to the drive-thru workers at my local soda shop! 😅

Here are three simple ways to help your child learn your phone number:

1. Have them write it (repeat repeat repeat)

Two of my favorite resources to help your child practice writing your phone number are a free printable I created and a tracing pouch. The tracing pouch allows your child to practice repeatedly on their own without needing to replace the worksheet each time.

You can download the printable here, and I’ve linked my favorite tracing pouch here.

2. Practice punching the numbers in on a phone

My free printable includes a drawing of a phone where your child can start by practicing dialing. While this is a great way to reinforce the skill, I also recommend letting them use your actual phone and explaining how to make a call. Practice together in different environments—at home, before school, at the park, and other familiar places—to build confidence.

3. Put some numbers in & have them fill it out

Another helpful practice for teaching your child to remember your phone number is to provide them with a few digits and have them fill in the rest. You can do this verbally, write part of the number on the practice sheet, or input the first few digits into your phone. Consistent practice with this method will help reinforce their memory.