The COVID 19 pandemic brought a whole new awareness to handwashing and hygiene – yet parents and caregivers have long been familiar with the rate at which germs can spread.
Teaching your child about hand washing and other essential hygiene routines at a young age can be a huge step in helping to keep you and your family as healthy as possible.
Let’s take a deeper look at hand washing and some of the ways you can make it interesting and fun for young children.
Why should you wash your hands?
Children love to ask ‘why’ and curious minds should always be encouraged. As such, it’s useful to be able to explain to children why they need to wash their hands.
Explain to children that hands are the easiest way for germs and bacteria to get into the body. If they touch their mouth with dirty hands, the germs can jump straight in.
Talk to children about all the things we use our hands for – from holding pens and pencils, to moving a chair or going to the toilet. Hands need to be regularly cleaned to remove the germs that they pick up throughout the day.
When should you wash your hands?
Make sure that children understand when they should be washing their hands. It’s not just after going to the toilet or before they have a snack or a meal.
Why not make a list with them of other occasions when they’ll need to wash their hands. You could include factors such as:
- After they have sneezed or coughed
- When they come in from being outside
- After touching an animal or pet
- After visiting someone who is ill or has a cold or cough
Making children aware of when they should consider washing their hands will help them gain a sense of responsibility – always remember to praise them when they suggest they might need a hand wash!
How should you wash your hands?
There are some fantastic resources available if you’re unsure about the correct hand washing method, or simply want to find something engaging for your child to learn from.
During the pandemic, many healthcare providers made videos for children to watch, showing them easy to remember tips for hand washing, and setting their handwashing to songs or music.
Make sure that children wash their hands for at least 15 seconds – you can make this into a game by setting a timer or singing a song whilst they do it.
It’s never too young to start introducing the idea of hand washing. Babies can be engaged by having their hands wiped with a clean washcloth. Talk about what you are doing as you clean their hands and show them how traces of food can be wiped away.
Dealing with coughs and colds
Sadly it’s inevitable that children will sometimes get coughs and colds, however careful you are with hand washing and hygiene.
It’s important that children understand the importance of proper cough etiquette and how to prevent their germs from spreading even further.
One of the best ways to teach them is to demonstrate how to cough into your elbow by bringing your arm up to your face and turning your head. You should also help children to learn to blow their nose and throw away used tissues immediately.
Be a hygiene role model
As with all behaviours, children learn from copying others and parents and caregivers have the chance to be brilliant hygiene role models to their children.
Try to show your child when you are washing your own hands, and explain why you are doing it. Encourage them to join in with you and talk about the techniques you’re using and how hand hygiene can be helpful.
In conclusion, teaching children proper hand hygiene is an important way to keep them healthy and prevent the spread of illness. Explain the importance of hand washing, show children how to do it properly, remind them to wash their hands at key times, and model good hand hygiene for them. By following these steps, you can help keep your children healthy and happy.
If you’re looking for some additional ways to help educate your children about living a healthy lifestyle, we have collated various ways you can encourage your children to be healthy through food, hydration, exercise and sun safety!