My 4 & 3 year olds sons wanted to play out the front of our house this afternoon and take a walk on their own. (We normally wait out the front for their dad to get home). Anyway I told them that they could not go out alone but I would go with them.

Question - how do I explain stranger danger at this age?

My 4 year old got very angry and wanted to know why. I told him sometimes bad people might try to take children then realised this sounded very ominous. So I posed a question if someone he didn't know offered him a chocolate if he went for a drive/ walk with them what would he do. He paused and asked why he couldn't take the chocolate! So I said if someone he didn't know tried to make him get in a car he should run away... Then he wanted to know why he should run. Thankfully our 8 year old neighbour came and they were distracted.

But it got me thinking how should I explain at such a young age? Of course they are never allowed out the front or a walk on their own.

Thanks - I assume schools still do the talk with the police visit but not at our kinder.