A plan for the day helps start out right. Applying sunscreen, drinking plenty of water to drink, and dressing right are basics for staying cool. A hat can be worn that is light and shields the head and eyes from bright sunlight. Most summer hats are cotton or straw and have holes ventilation.
Morning is the coolest time of day, so encourage outside playing while the day still holds some of the cool from the previous night.
Playing in the Shade
Running and bike riding may have to wait for cooler hours. Pick a place in the shade. Children should steer clear of heat reflecting areas like sidewalks and streets and sit under an arbor, a tree, an awning or in the shade of a building. If there is no shade a tent can be constructed with a blanket, tarp or sheet stretched out over a clothesline or swing set so that air circulates freely underneath.
Playing quietly in the grass or on a quilt with a doll or miniature toy farm animals or other simple toys, or reading a book, or coloring are quiet activities for the shade. A picnic can be fun and cool drinks and fresh fruit or cool ice cream treats rather than heavy warm foods help kids stay still and cool.
Guessing games are easier than board games for outside. Some children love to watch clouds and guess what they resemble. Writing in a journal or listening to story tapes or music can be just right for hot days in the shade.
Playing in Cooling Water
Children may find the urge to run and the need for activity too strong. Playing with or in water can help them stay cool. A sprinkler to run under or the splash of a garden hose helps cool, especially if hair and clothes can get wet. Water soakers and water balloons are fun ways to get cool when swimming is not an option.
Wading in a wading pool or swimming with supervision are favorite activities for hot days. Encourage swimming during morning hours. When the sun is overhead children may become overheated. Swimming will be best attempted in the late afternoon and evening when heat is extreme.
To protect fragile skin, kids should wear sunscreen. Limit time in open sun even with sunscreen. Patio umbrellas can offer shade while kids are out of the water. Drinking plenty of water and snacking on cool treats like popsicles helps beat heat.
Children may need to stay inside during the hottest hours
Staying Cool Indoors
Ideas for inside play:
- Rolling a rubber ball back and forth across the floor
- Reading books
- Listening to stories on tape from library
- Building with blocks, Legos™, or other construction kits.
- Producing artwork – coloring, painting, or sketching
- Playing board games, table card games, guessing games or with math manipulatives
- Sculpting with playdough or modeling clay
- Writing stories or poems about hot summer places or cold winter places
Whatever children choose to do on a hot summer day, heat safety is a consideration. Heat and sun can make a child sick and cause him to suffer heat stroke, dehydration, or sunburn. Kids should be encouraged to beat the heat by playing in the shade, playing in water, drinking fluids, eating cool water-rich treats, and staying inside during the hottest daytime hours.
 |
