Encouraging Hat Wearing at Primary

Dear Parents,

Now that we are moving quickly into the shortest time of the year, it is important that the children are protected from exposure to the sun. One way to protect our children is to have them wear a hat when they are outside at playtimes, lunchtimes and some PE lessons.

Here are just some of the benefits:

1. Sun hats are the first line of defense against sunburn, sun rash, sun stroke, and heat exhaustion. They will block the harmful UV rays and work to keep your body cooler.

2. By blocking UV rays, sun hats lessen the damage to your skin by those rays. Wrinkles, spots, and discoloration can all be minimised or lessened by the use of sun hats.

3. By blocking the sun’s harmful UV rays, these hats also help minimise the risk of skin cancers and melanoma especially when worn in conjunction with sun block or sun blocking cosmetics.

4. Sun hats also help protect your eyes. Research indicates that UV rays from the sun increase the risk of cataracts (and possibly increases the risk of ocular melanoma) and blocking those rays lessens the risk.