Summer Safety for Kids

5 Ways to Keep Kids Happy & Healthy in the Summer

The summer is winding down, back to school sales have sprung up everywhere to help parents and students alike cross off items on their back to school supply lists, and the Fall is quickly approaching. Just because summer is almost over doesn’t mean that it’s time to become lax on keeping kids safe and happy over the next few weeks before they’re back in school all day. Make sure that your little ones stay healthy and ready to take on the challenges of the new year by following these 5 tips.

1) Stay Active

It’s easy to let kids become lethargic in the weeks leading up to school. As a parent or guardian of kids, you’re probably just as exhausted as they are from all of the summer fun you’ve been having over the past several weeks. Instead of falling into a pattern of staying inside and letting the iPad or television keep the kids entertained, make sure that you keep kids bodies and minds active up until school starts. Visit museums, zoos, parks, and anything else you can think of in order to keep their bodies and imaginations active and healthy.

2) Stay Hydrated

This holds true all year long, but especially in the dog days of summer when temperatures can rise quite steadily across many parts of the nation. If kids are playing outside for an extended period of time, make certain that they have easy access to plenty of healthy fluids such as water, juice, or sports drinks.

3) Wear Sunscreen

It may seem as if the hottest days of summer are behind us, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to leave the sunscreen at home. Make sure kids are covered from head to toe in sunscreen of some sort, the higher the SPF the better, especially for very young children. Make sure that you are using enough sunscreen yourself as well. If older kids see adults applying sunscreen on a regular basis, they are sure to follow suit, making it a healthy habit they will carry with them the rest of their lives.

4) Eat Healthy

Mustering up enthusiasm to cook in oppressive summer heat can be quite an uphill battle. By setting the tone early in life that cooking can be fun though, kids will learn a valuable skill that is healthy for their bodies and their wallet. If you’re on vacation and it looks like fast food is going to be your family’s best alternative to eating at home, talk with your kids about making healthy choices when ordering off of the menu. Many fast food chains now offer healthier alternatives in the kids’ meals, make sure that you ask what options are available to you prior to ordering that burger and fries.

5) Keep a Regular Schedule

Kids may become accustomed to over-sleeping during the summer. Without commitments to attend or alarms to set, kids can sleep late into the morning or even early afternoon. By maintaining a regular routine of bedtimes and wake ups throughout the summer it will make the transition back to school much easier. Kids have enough to worry about on their first days of school such as new classes, new teachers, new friends; make sure that trying to stay awake in class isn’t added to their list of worries.

Whether you’re spending the last few days of summer out at the lake, taking your boat off of its boat lift for the last few times in order to get out on the water, or just camping out in the back yard, keep these tips in mind and the rest of the summer should be a breeze.