Summer camp means fresh air, outdoor adventures, and long hours in the sun. Whether campers are swimming, hiking, playing ball, or gathered at the campfire, the outdoors becomes their second home. But the same sunlight that makes camp magical also carries risks.

Children’s skin is more sensitive and thinner than adult skin, making it more prone to sunburn and long-term ultraviolet (UV) damage. Even a few serious sunburns in childhood can dramatically increase the risk of skin cancer later in life.

Just five sunburns in youth (one or more blistering sunburns) more than doubles a person’s risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer (Melanoma Focus, 2024).

Up to 23 percent of a person’s lifetime sun exposure occurs before the age of 18; 70 percent by age 40 (Godar et al., 2003).

That means the summers children spend at camp are not only shaping their friendships and skills but their lifelong health.

Skin cancer is now the most common cancer in the United States (American Cancer Society, 2026). One in five Americans will develop it by the age of 70 (Sterns, 2007), and melanoma rates continue to rise among teens and young adults. Camps, with their all-day outdoor programming, are uniquely positioned to instill sun protection habits early.

Beyond being a medical concern, sun safety is a youth development responsibility. Easy prevention is not optional; it is vital. When children learn to apply sunscreen with the same regularity as brushing their teeth, they carry that routine into adulthood. As camp staff, you have the opportunity and obligation to embed these practices into daily life at camp.

Camp-specific Challenges and Opportunities

Unlike school, camp schedules often center around outdoor activities. Morning hikes, afternoon swims, sports games, and special trips all increase UV exposure. Add to that the fact that many camps are located on lakes, rivers, or open fields — environments where water, sand, and grass reflect UV rays and intensify exposure.

You may feel less urgency to apply sunscreen on cloudy days. However, up to 80 percent of UV rays penetrate clouds, and reflections from water and sand add to exposure risk. A cool or cloudy day can be just as dangerous for skin as a sunny one.

While our knowledge of the harmful effects of sun exposure is increasing, there is a disturbing “Tanmaxxing” trend among teens and young adults, where they seek to maximize their UV exposure and avoid using sunscreen (O’Brien, 2025). Summer camp is a perfect place to dissuade such behavior. Only early education and habituation to daily sun protective routines can help combat this practice in the future.

The challenge is consistency: making sure campers apply and reapply sunscreen, wear protective clothing, and seek shade every day. The opportunity is cultural: turning sun safety into part of camp identity, just like campfires, camp songs, and s’mores.

Implement Practical Sun Safety Strategies

As staff, you can help make sun safety a part of everyday camp life.

Move Campers to the Shade

If you have a hand in planning daily schedules, build shade into the program. Hold lineups under trees or canopies, set up shaded eating areas, and position water stations in covered spots. For field games, rotate stations so campers spend part of the time in shaded rest areas.

Portable shade structures such as pop-up tents or large umbrellas can make fields and waterfronts sun safer. Encourage campers to rest in shaded areas during downtime rather than sitting directly in the sun.

Promote Protective Clothing

Make UPF 50+ apparel part of your camp uniform. You’ll protect yourself and role model good protective habits for your campers. Encourage rash guards for swimming, lightweight long sleeves for outdoor sports, as well as hat liners and wide-brimmed hats for all-day wear. Don’t forget sunglasses with UV protection.

Make Sunscreen Nonnegotiable

Sunscreen is essential camp gear just like water bottles and sneakers. Establish sunscreen routines at natural transition points:

• Before morning lineup
• Before and after swim periods
• After rest hour before afternoon activities
• Prior to evening programming if outdoors before dusk

Use SPF 30 or higher, broad spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen. Use sticks or sprays for quick reapplication on faces and arms. Lotion remains most reliable for full coverage, especially before swimming.

Remind campers to apply sunscreen to often forgotten spots like ears and back of hands. Also encourage use of SPF 30 lip balm as well, because lips are not immune to sun exposure risks.

If your camp doesn’t have one, ask about making sun protection accessible by setting up sunscreen stations in central locations that children pass throughout the day, such as near the dining hall, at the waterfront, and outside activity fields.

Apply sunscreen even on cloudy days, and make sure your campers do the same.

Teach and Empower Campers

Education makes the habit stick. Use morning cabin announcements to share fun facts, such as “Did you know clouds block heat but not UV rays?” Give younger campers fun and simple mottos like “Slip, slop, slap, seek, slide.” Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat, seek shade, slide on sunglasses.

Color-changing UV bracelets or beads can serve as visual reminders when exposure is high.

When campers understand why sunscreen matters, they are more likely to apply it themselves and remind friends to do the same.

Know What to Look For

Early detection of skin cancer is key to successful outcomes for all ages. Talk to campers about the importance of skin checks, and teach them the ABCDEs of skin cancer detection, the EFGs of nodular melanomas (40–50 percent of melanoma in children), and the three Rs for amelanotic (red-colored) melanoma, the type common in children under 10.

ABCDE of Adult and superficial Early Melanoma (Cleveland Clinic, 2025):

A	B	C	D	E
Asymmetry	Border irregularity	Color	Diameter (greater than 6 mm)	Evolving

 

EFG for Nodular Melanoma (Sharma et al., 2017):

E	F	G
Elevated	Firm	Growing

 

The Three Rs for Early Detection of Amelanotic Melanoma (Skelsey, 2018):

Red	The lesion is typically pink or red.
Raised	The lesion is often a papulonodular growth.
Recent Change	The lesion is rapidly evolving or growing.

A Lifelong Health Habit

Sun safety at camp goes beyond one summer. By weaving it into daily routines, you’ll protect yourself and help children to develop habits that protect them for life. Just as we teach respect for one another, resilience, and responsibility, we can teach respect for skin health.

Every hat worn, every sunscreen application, every choice to rest in the shade adds up, not just to fewer sunburns this summer, but to a lifetime of reduced cancer risk. With consistent routines and creative engagement, you can help to ensure every child goes home with great memories, new skills, and healthy skin.

Teach it early. Practice it daily. Protect them for a lifetime. The sunlight will still shine on campers’ laughter and joy, but without leaving behind a preventable shadow.

Additional Resources

For more information on the risks of skin cancer, check out the following:

• American Academy of Dermatology, Skin Cancer Resource Center: aad.org/public/diseases/skin-cancer
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Guidelines for School Programs to Prevent Skin Cancer”: cdc.gov/skin-cancer/php/guidelines-for-school-programs/index.html
• Skin Cancer Foundation, “Skin Cancer Awareness Toolkit”: skincancer.org/get-involved/skin-cancer-awareness-month/toolkit/

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References

American Cancer Society. (2026). Cancer facts and figures 2026. cancer.org/research/cancer-facts-statistics/all-cancer-facts-figures/2026-cancer-facts-figures.html

Cleveland Clinic. (2025, August 26). ABCDEs of skin cancer. my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/8648-skin-self-exam

Godar, D. E., Urbach, F., Gasparro, F. P., Van der Leun, J. C. (2003). UV doses of young adults. Photochem Photobiol, 77(4):453-7.

Melanoma Focus. (2024, May). Childhood sunburns are raising the risk of melanoma skin cancer. melanomafocus.org/news-blog/childhood-sunburns-are-raising-the-risk-of-melanoma-skin-cancer/

O’Brien, S. A. (2025, August 30). Are you ‘tanmaxxing’? The Wall Street Journal. wsj.com/lifestyle/tanning-uv-index-app-tracking-tanmaxxing-spf-fb3d1ec9

Sharma, A., Lambroussis, C., Clack, W., Weston, J., & Mallouk, A. (2017). Melanoma for primary care. American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians Journal. acofp.org/news-and-publications/journal/article-detail/vol-9-no-4-(2017)-july-august-2017/melanoma-for-primary-care#anchor8

Skelsey, M. K. (2018, March 21). Amelanotic melanoma: Symptoms, causes, treatment. Dermatologic Surgery Center Washington. mohs-md.com/amelanotic-melanoma-symptoms-causes-treatment/

Sterns, R.S. (2010). Prevalence of a history of skin cancer in 2007: Results of an incidence-based model. Arch Dermatol, 146(3):279-282.

Stephanie Kornbleuth and Jill Kams are cofounders of Sundercover LLC, a company that creates UPF 50 apparel and accessories. Stephanie, a native of Massachusetts and graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, began her career in advertising before spending more than two decades managing operations for a dermatology practice, where she developed a strong focus on education and prevention related to skin cancer. Jill, raised in Ohio and holding undergraduate and graduate degrees from The Ohio State University, worked for many years as a special education teacher and later helped launch and manage a law practice. Together they bring diverse professional backgrounds in business, healthcare, and education to their work addressing issues of sun safety and prevention.

Allison Corey Miller is the owner and director of Camp Starlight in Northeastern Pennsylvania, where she has spent more than 28 years creating safe, fun, and meaningful summer experiences for campers. She is also a professional coach and the founder of Happy Camper Live, a platform that brings the spirit of camp to kids year-round. Her commitment to sun safety is deeply personal. Having faced skin cancer herself and seen its impact within her own family, Allison has made education and prevention a central part of her mission with campers, staff, and parents. She is dedicated to helping the next generation embrace the outdoors while protecting themselves for the future.