Infants and toddlers up to four years of age are particularly vulnerable to UV damage. I find it important to teach my nanny kids about how to enjoy the sun safely. We seek for shade during sunny days, the children wear protective clothes and hats and we use a high quality sunscreen for kids. Besides this, I read out loud children's books, make crafts and sing songs about the sun. In this way I try to encourage and support them to develop independent sun protection skills.
A paper plate sun craft is always an easy and great way to introduce this theme. My oldest nanny kid made this (see picture above) with a paper plate, yellow paper and glue. If you take a closer look, you can see the face she drew on the sun. Have you seen my DIY sun visors craft on my blog from last year? There are so many sun crafts to be found on the internet, so I am sure you can find some of your liking as well.
George the Sun Safe Superstar is a fantastic little story to watch with your children. Don't forget to visit your local library, I found educational books about sun safe habits and the children love them!
We sang this Dutch song and came up with gestures ourselves to accompany the song. We held a performance for the parents and they loved it. You can find a lot of English songs & rhymes for children about being sun smart in this document.