As we enter the hot Summer months, sun safety becomes one of the most important topics that caregivers or parents to young children should focus on to avoid dangerous exposure to the sun.
With Australia experiencing some of the highest UV levels in the world, it’s important that we educate children about the harmful effects of the sun. Yet it’s also essential to do this in a fun and engaging way, without making the dangers of the sun seem overwhelming or frightening.
You can read ourpost about sun protection to get some of the top tips that we follow at all of our Adelaide Childcare and Early Development Centres.
Now, let’s take a look at some more resources and interactive ways that you can make sun safety fun for toddlers and young children:
Why not watch the Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide video?
Designed and produced for children of all ages this is guaranteed to make the whole family smile. Yet there’s a serious message underlying the video and children will be well informed about the importance of protecting themselves against powerful rays.
For older children, why not think about helping them to create their own sun safety video? You could suggest that they do it with their friends but offer adult help to brainstorm ideas and record it.
Listen to the songs that Sun Smart have compiled
There are some brilliant resources on the Sun Smart website – and the songs are particularly appealing to young children with many of them set to familiar classics.
Setting information to music in this way makes it far more effective and easy to remember, especially for younger children. You could encourage your child to sing it to friends who you meet or to share it with their group at one of our Childcare and Early Education Centres.
Teach your children about the ‘Shadow Rule’
Children love playing with shadows – especially when it comes to looking at their own when outdoors or making finger puppets against a blank wall.
Using shadows is a really simple way to raise your child’s awareness of the sun’s position. The basic rule is: Short Shadow – Seek Shade. Easy to remember tricks like this will help your child evaluate situations and eventually learn to take responsibility for their own sun safety.
Choosing hats and sunglasses
Many parents struggle with children (especially babies and toddlers) who don’t want to wear hats and, even when they do, continue to take them off at every opportunity.
Wearing good quality sun hats and sunglasses is essential to protect children from UV rays – so what’s the answer? One option that has proved really successful amongst our parents has been to get your child involved in choosing the sun hat or sunglasses.
Take your child to the shop, or try to find a hat or glasses in their favourite colour or with a favourite character on them.
Teach the ‘Wet and Sweat’ Rule
If you have slightly older children (especially those who are getting ready to go to school), try giving them a little more responsibility when it comes to sunscreen application.
Make them aware that if they get wet or do lots of activities, they’ll need to reapply sunscreen. Ask them to come to you each time they think they should have sunscreen reapplied (their clues to do this can be remembered as Wet and Sweat) and praise them when they do so.
You can also get older children involved in checking the weather forecast and looking at the UV index to decide the best times to go outdoors. Why not laminate this Sid Seagull poster, stick it to your fridge or another easy access point for your child and ask them to help you write the sun smart times each day. Speak to them about what protection they think you should take and how you can all stay sun safe this Summer.
As you can see there are lots of ways to make sun safety fun and engaging for both children and families.
For parents and caregivers, there are many fantastic resources now available at your fingertips to check the UV level at any given time of the day to ensure your children are adequately protected.
- Download the SunSmart app on your Apple or Google smartphone showing you the current UV level and the timeframes sun protection is recommended that day
- Many smart watches also have UV level widget you can add to you clock face so you can check the current UV level at any time
Building awareness from a young age will help your child to develop healthy habits and to keep their skin protected throughout their lifetime.
