Growing up, summer meant vacations from school, unlimited playtime, and tons of ice cream. We never stopped to think about what time off from school meant for parents, who now had to figure out ideas to keep active kids entertained with a host of activities and channel the sugar-induced energy in productive ways.
Sprig & Vine spoke to Vidhi Beri – a global educator in the fields of holistic health + nutrition, and an expert in Child Nutrition and Maternity Wellness; to give us some insight on how to care for kids during the summer without losing your sanity.
First things first, kids will want to spend time outdoors, but how do you ensure they have a great time without melting into a puddle? “There’s a constant tussle between buoyancy and sultriness for kids,” says Vidhi. “They (kids) need to be occupied outdoors without resulting heat strokes for the child, mom, or primary care giver; Chances are that the child is likely to have more resilience than the accompanying adult.”
When the temperatures are soaring, and your kids are raring (to go), Vidhi’s recommendations will come mighty handy. These tips will guide you on how to enjoy playtime outdoors, and beat the summer sultriness.
Water Activities
Water activities are an excellent way to keep kids occupied and also help them cool down. Organize a fun game of holi in your backyard, with a garden hose for siblings and friends to splash each other with (and say goodbye to the endless sibling squabbles). Use an inflatable baby pool indoors or outdoors for younger kids and toddlers.
Alternatively, taking your kids swimming to recreational club swimming pools is another great way to cool down; visit a water park if you’re lucky enough to live close by or travel to one.
Hand and Body Engagement
These days, we often overlook the importance of outdoor playtime as a part of the child’s developmental process. And by outdoors, I mean really outdoors, in the soil. Soil isn’t the same as dirt – our home gardens and local parks are not ridden with highly toxic fertilizers. If we have kids rolling around in mud and grass, it builds immunity, gives the child exposure to necessary trace minerals that exist in soil, and is the most important natural vitamin B12 fortifier. What’s more, these days we have too many allergies occurring at really young ages, and soil on the skin as well as trace amounts through play are a great way to neutralize these allergies over time. While this has been the truth for millions of Indian children through the ages, it is now being done as therapy for many American children who were so far taught that soil is dirt. Of course, proper care must be taken to ensure that hygiene, in terms of protecting against animal and human waste, and basic sanitation is maintained.
Another way of encouraging hand + body engagement through play is to partake in finger-painting using magic paints and vanishing colors on tiled walls.
Kids can also get involved in creating summer foods using up all the abundance of watermelons, mangoes, and other delicious fruit – rope them in to make fruit ice pops, fruit sorbets, and fruit salads. Why fruits? Because they comprise of 90% water, which is exactly what the body is asking for during summer. Get more ideas on cooking with summer fruits here.
Ideal Outdoor Playtimes
Outdoor playtime is great and should be encouraged, but proper care must be taken to ensure the child receives plenty of Vitamin D minus the dehydration.
6.30 AM – 9 AM is the best time for absorption of Vitamin D3, so head on outside and soak up the sun with your early risers.
5 PM – 7 PM is ideal for swimming, or any shaded water play activities.
The only time you should avoid being outdoors is in the middle of the afternoon from 12 PM to 3PM, as the sun is at the most intense during that period.
Summer Foods
Kids need to stay well hydrated during the summer, and you can ensure that through water intense foods that are seasonal and colourful. Fruits are wonderful, and other semi-cooked and raw vegetables are perfect choices to extract the fluid from fresh foods.
All gourds (like zucchini, bottle gourd etc.) can be used to make things like noodles or pasta. Gazpacho is another great summer food idea: mix it up by making a variety of different kinds using seasonal fruits, like watermelon gazpacho, mango gazpacho, or avocado cucumber gazpacho. Raw papaya salads, crunchy cucumber and peanut salad, fruit salad, and fresh fruit pulp juices and drinks are all great options.
A few daily practices for kids to stay well hydrated, active, and fit without headaches, tummy aches and exhaustion all summer long:
- Start the day with a spoon of tender coconut meat (malai)
- Drink the coconut water soon after
- Squeezed fresh lemon shot post breakfast, or a little jaggery water and lemon drink before noon
- A small portion of curd rice or cumin-spiced buttermilk with mint leaves
All of these are foods that have cooling properties; and keep the mind, body and temperament of the child cool. Following most of these daily summer food essentials will lead to reduced crankiness, reduced reflux, and no tummy aches, vomiting or dehydration.
Vidhi Beri is a global educator in the fields of holistic health, lactation, nutrition and mental health counselling. She offers holistic health programs for all age groups which encourage dietary changes, weight and stress management, exercise and fitness regimes as well as work on breathing, meditation and hormonal imbalances. You can connect with her here.
