Germs are everywhere. On the playground, at home, in your garden. Unfortunately, children tend to get sick much faster and more easily than adults. And millions of kids have to stay home from school every year because of flus and colds. That’s why it’s all the more important to show them how to practice proper hand hygiene early on. But teaching the little ones how to wash and rinse can be difficult. Hand washing needn’t be a chore. As long as you make it fun, it’ll be a positive experience for everyone involved.
Explain to your children why, when, and how to wash hands before you begin to teach them. It’s important they understand why they should get into the habit. The essence of regular washing is to minimize germs that can be spread from one person to the next when their skin comes into contact with one another. The recommended time to wash hands is 20 seconds so that’s how long you should be scrubbing your hands under water. You can use warm or cold water to wash your hands. Just wet them, apply soap, and lather up. Then scrub for 20 seconds and rinse them thoroughly. Afterwards dry them using a towel. To make this process fun for kids, here are a few ideas.
There are plenty of great songs that last around 30 seconds, which you can sing while you’re washing your hands together. “Row your Boat” or the Alphabet song are good starting points. When you encourage them to sing along while washing, the habit becomes a fun and positive experience for all of you. Perhaps you’ll even make up your own song.
Soap is available in all shapes and sizes. You can get a bag of animal soaps or purchase more colorful ones online or in a store. It’s a good idea to opt for soaps that are gentle on young skin and restore lost moisture. If you’re feeling creative, you could even make your own soap. Here are some ideas to make rainbow soap with your kids.
Sometimes it’s hard to stop the tears. If you’re dealing with meltdowns and explosive behavior in young children, there are a few things you can do. To teach hand washing without the tears, remain calm and consider offering a small reward like an extra 30 minutes of television in the evening or one more piece of chocolate. Don’t make the reward too big because otherwise kids may begin to expect one every time you want to teach them a new habit.
Photo: CDC, Unsplash
