It’s hard to believe that summer is almost here….I loved summer when I was running my childcare center because it meant I could spend more time outside with the children.  Fresh air and sunshine are two of my favorite things.  I sort of miss those days, but one thing I don’t miss is the dreaded “sunscreen time”.   Applying sunscreen wasn’t so bad with the older kids, but trying to make sure all the places were covered on the squirming toddlers was a real challenge.
 
 I was talking about this with a group of providers the other day, and one of them gave me a great suggestion for managing the squirmers.  I liked the idea so much, I wanted to share it with you.

You start with at least three child-size shoe boxes.  Cover each of them with a different solid colored paper (red, blue, and yellow are best if you’re only using three boxes.)  You can also use paper with a theme design (animals, shapes, etc.).  Then you place 4”x4” gauze pads in each box.  The next step is to let the toddler choose a box (if you have a large group of toddlers, you can let the children take turns choosing a box each time a new round of sunscreen needs to be applied.)  Then as you use the gauze pads to apply the sunscreen, you play a name game about the color or shape that’s on the box.  If the box is covered with a theme paper, you can tell a story or sing an appropriate song.  This keeps the kids focused and makes applying sunscreen so much easier!

I hope you like this idea as much as I did.   If you have any tips you’d like to share, please send them to me.  I’d love to hear from you!