Stay Cool This Summer!
Tips and activities for children with learning disabilities to stay cool in the summer:
With high temperatures and humidity in summer it is easy to overheat, especially in a heatwave. Signs of this include dizziness, vomiting and fainting. If you feel your child is struggling in the heat and showing signs of illness it is important to contact a medical professional. Children with learning disabilities are especially more susceptible to illness in the heat because some children may have trouble explaining their symptoms, so it is important for you to keep an eye on your child. With the UK experiencing heatwaves this summer here are some tips and activities to help keep your child cool this summer.
Tips:
- Bathe your child in cool water or apply cool water on their wrists, forehead, ankles and back of the knees to keep your child cool, this can even be done with a cold compress.
- Keep your child hydrated throughout the day whether this is done by drinking water or juice or even slushies!
- Put socks in the freezer for your child to help cool their body temperature.
- Try stay in well ventilated and air-conditioned environments wherever possible.
- Use a cooling mattress, pillow and bedding, if possible, to keep their body temperature down.
- Remember to apply sunscreen and have your child use a hat to prevent burning.
- Put a glass of cold water behind or in front of a fan to improve air circulation, however, do not direct the fan directly at your child especially for long periods of time.
Activities:
Slow water balloon toss- Grab a water balloon and poke some small holes in the water balloon so that the water sprays out slowly and the balloon will not pop, eliminating any fear of the pop noise! This can be done in a group and pass the balloons around a circle.
Sprinklers- Get swimsuits on and even goggles and swim shoes for a run around the sprinklers to cool down. You can buy a variety of sprinklers from gentle one’s to crazy ones.
Ice cream & slushies- Make homemade ice cream by following this recipe. You can also put juice boxes in the freezer to make a slushie or buy an ice lolly tray to create your own ice lollies made with juice or whatever you like!
Paddling pool- Fill a small paddling pool with cooling water to splash around in to keep your child cool.
Indoor picnic- Staying indoors will help keep your child cool and can be filled with lots of delicious foods/drinks such as ice cream.
