Teaching preschool children to avoid poison hazards.

The team ran a safety class for preschoolers. First, all kids got a group lesson on poison hazards. Then the researchers watched who still tried to touch or taste a fake poison bait.

The kids who failed got a second round. An adult stepped in, blocked the reach, and gave quick feedback right on the playground.

Group training alone did not stop most kids. Nearly every child who had passed the lesson still grabbed the bait in the real moment.

After one round of in-situ feedback plus response interruption, almost every child refused the bait. The safe choice lasted weeks later, even with new toys and new rooms.

Phaneuf et al. (2007) saw the same pattern with moms. Group parent training helped a little, but adding short, personal video clips fixed the problem behavior fast.

Tryggestad et al. (2025) stretched the idea to staff. They paired a 4-hour workshop with 17 weeks of quick coaching and lifted classroom quality. Longer coaching worked for teachers; a single in-situ pass worked for kids.

Chan et al. (2016) used a near-copy recipe: behavioral skills training, real-place practice, and feedback. They taught water safety instead of poison safety and got the same strong gain with neurotypical children.

You can toss the old safety coloring sheet. Run a 5-minute group demo, then test for real. The moment a child reaches for the bait, block the hand and say, “Stop, ask an adult.” One correction in the real setting beats ten seat-time lessons. Use the same block-and-feedback loop for hot stoves, stranger approach, or any life-or-death skill.