Teaching kids sun safety is important so that they can protect their skin from being damaged later in life. Because of this, the earlier that kids learn to take care of their skin and make it part of their daily routine, the healthier they will be overall. By understanding how the sun can negatively impact their lives if not treated with respect, as kids age, they will have suffered from fewer sunburns and be at less risk for skin cancer, which is, unfortunately, so prevalent today amongst those who spent copious amounts of time in the sun without protection as kids. And it is because of this that it is necessary to teach kids sun safety.

While sun safety is more on parents' minds during the summer when the weather is warmer and the sun is high, it is imperative to take care of the skin while out in the sun all year round. This is because the sun does not discriminate with sunburns. It can give one whether the weather is cooler and overcast or hot and sunny. By teaching kids to always protect their skin when they step outside will keep them from being caught in a situation where their skin is at risk of being damaged. And when this happens, healthy habits are born that will continue into adulthood.

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Here is the importance of teaching sun safety to kids.

Teaching Kids Needs To Be Done Early

Adults are aware that an overabundance of sun exposure can lead to skin burning and skin damage. Whether they choose to do anything with that information depends upon the individual. However, kids are not educated when it comes to how the UV rays can cause cell damage that can lead to skin cancer. And because of this, they do not think to protect their skin when they go outdoors.

According to South Shore Health, if kids are given sun safety information through visuals such as wearing sunscreen daily and having explanations as to why it needs to be applied, they will be cognizant as a young person why sun protection is important. After all, per the publication, the habits that kids pick up good or bad, are learned in childhood. This is why teaching sun safety to kids early will help instill just how important it is to block the harmful rays of the sun from the skin.

Sunscreen Needs To Be Second Nature

The earlier that kids can be taught about sun safety, the easier it is to make it a habit as they get older. And this is a habit that can start as early as six months of age.

According to What To Expect, when babies are six months old, they are able to have sunscreen applied to their skin safely. As such, every time they go outside, it should be a habit that sunscreen is applied. When this happens daily, there is likely to be less complaining about having to apply the sunscreen as kids age because it is an everyday occurrence just as brushing teeth or hair is.

Therefore, to get kids off to the right start with sun safety, make sure they are safe from the sun's rays at the first chance possible.

Role Model Good Sun Habits

Part of teaching good sun habits to kids is to be a good role model. After all, what kids see their parents do, they want to copy and do themselves.

According to Consumer Reports, parents can use their own stories about sun exposure as teaching moments for their kids. This means that they can talk about why they wear sunscreen daily because they do not want to burn like they did when they were kids and why they do not want the same to happen to their kids either.

Of course, per the publication, while sharing stories, the point is not to scare kids into taking care of their skin. The goal is to get them to understand why taking care of skin is important and motivate them to want to do it for their health versus being scared of the sun and spending any time outside in it.

Kids will also learn as parents wear protective clothing, wear their sunglasses, reapply sunscreen, and more. The more that parents can do to practice sun safety themselves, the faster it will sink in for kids just how important sun safety is.

Practice Other Healthy Sun Habits To Stress Sun Safety

While sunscreen is the most recognized way to protect the skin from the sun, there are other forms of sun safety as well.

According to the Office on Women's Health, other ways to stress sun safety to kids includes:

  • Wearing protective clothing.
  • Limit the amount of time in the sun from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM or find shady places to enjoy the outdoors.
  • Do not spend time in the sun or tanning beds explicitly to get a tan.

By teaching kids sun safety early on, they will understand it is possible to spend time out in beautiful weather while keeping their skin from getting damaged. When kids learn that part of their overall health is keeping the largest organ of their body in the best shape possible, they will be able to responsibly be outdoors at any time during the day knowing that the risk is minimal to their skin. And this was all a result of learning the importance of sun safety at an early age.

Source: What To Expect, South Shore Health, Consumer Reports, Office on Women's Health