Kids are back in school but the summer heat is still hanging around. When sending kids off to school in temperatures over 100 degrees it’s important to send them with a few safety tips as well. Here are a few back to school heat safety tips from Safe Kids of Maricopa County:
1. Drink water with energy and purpose at least four times a day. A good trick is to put four rubber bands on your child’s wrist. Each time they finish a water bottle or take a good, long drink from a drinking fountain, they move one rubber band to the other wrist. Once all the rubber bands have moved, your child can feel confident that they are getting enough water. Make it a game and see how many days in a row your child can move each rubber band from one arm to the next. Make it a habit!
2. Playing in the sun is fun but every time you see some shade, take a break. Recesses are usually kept short when it’s hot outside but remind your child to take a break in the shade when they can. Even 15 minutes in the sun can be exhausting.
3. Bring water on your walk and stop to take a sip. If your child is walking to school make sure they take water along with them. The walk is short but the temperature is high and it’s important to be prepared. If your child has water on their walk, remind them to stop walking to take a drink. They might hurt themselves trying to do two things at once!
It may be a few more months before temperatures dip back down to comfortable. Make sure kids know if they feel dizzy or sick their first step should be sitting down and taking a drink of water. Following these three simple steps will help ensure they are getting the hydration and rest they need to be safe.
Safe Kids of Maricopa County is now a program of Child Crisis Arizona. For injury prevention tips and safe practices visit childcrisisaz.org/safe-kids-maricopa/.
