Keeping the body at a safe temperature — Health, 4–6 years
The body works best when it is neither too hot nor too cold. Children learn to notice body clues and change clothes, shade or warmth with an adult's help.
Comfortable temperature helps
Your body keeps its inside temperature steady, even when the air changes. You may feel cold hands, shivering, a hot face, sweat or tiredness when you need more warmth or less heat. Clothes, shade, warm air and cool drinks can help, depending on the place and the weather.
Why change the conditions?
The problem is that too much heat or cold can make the body work harder than it should. A child who keeps playing in a hot coat may become overheated; a child who stays in wet clothes may become very cold. Noticing the clues early gives us time to change safely and ask an adult for help.
After playing outside
Sofia plays outside in a thick jumper on a warm day. First, her face feels hot and her jumper becomes damp with sweat. She stops running and tells an adult. Next, she moves into the shade, removes the extra layer and has a few sips of water. She returns to play only when she feels comfortable again.
Do not wait until it hurts
A reasonable mistake is ignoring cold or heat because the game is exciting, or thinking that feeling sweaty means we should always take off every layer. Bodies and weather differ, so one choice does not fit every moment. Use the clues, change one thing safely and tell an adult if you feel weak, dizzy, very cold or very hot.
In weather and warm rooms
This idea helps at the beach, in snow, during outdoor play, on journeys and in a warm car or room. Children can add or remove a layer, find shade or warmth and tell an adult what they notice. Never stay in a parked car to wait, even if it seems comfortable at first.
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