Safety Outside in the Cold Weather for Children

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Safety Outside in the Cold Weather for Children

Outside time is so vital for development in children. Time outside helps them to build on their confidence, physical and mental health. Yet the cold weather can make children unwell. And icy weather can also lead to children slipping on surfaces.

And with the current problems with staff shortages due to isolation and illness, observation cannot be relied upon.

So, how can you keep children safe at school during the colder weather?

1. School Canopies
School canopies are a great option. They create a smaller environment that will stay a little warmer and will limit frost development. It can also help shelter children during rain, snow and from the cold wind.

School canopies are great all year round too. In the summer, they can limit exposure to harmful UV rays that are linked to skin conditions and can damage equipment.

2. Warm Clothing
Most children don’t think about putting on warm clothing. Or they will put on their coat, leave it undone and then leave their hat and gloves in the classroom. Instead, children need to be encouraged to dress warmly.

You can make games of this and reward children who dress themselves correctly.

3. Suggest Games
Suggest games to your children that aren’t going to be risky to play. For instance, avoid suggesting chasing or climbing games. Instead suggest games like catch. You want to encourage them to exercise and move about to keep warm, but at the same time not do an activity that has a higher risk of slipping.

4. Be Observant
While we’ve discussed that low staff attendance might happen at your current school, in the current conditions, observation is still vital for your student’s wellbeing. Therefore, in colder weather try to put more people out into outside areas to watch for games and behaviours that might not be good for the children.

Conclusion
The health of the children at your school is vital. Using some of the tips above, you can get them to exercise and play outside while limiting the risk to injury or getting ill. Do you have any suggestions? Let us know in the comments.

Able Canopies Ltd. design, manufacture and install canopies and shade structures at schools, nurseries and educational settings to enable year-round Free Flow Outdoor Play and Outdoor Learning.
For more information please contact us

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Safety Outside in the Cold Weather for Children

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