How to Teach Handwashing to Children
Children learn and explore with their hands. As a result, their hands come into contact with many different germs throughout the day. Hand washing is a simple and effective way to prevent the spread of germs and reduce the occurrence of infection. Teach your child the importance of hand washing and instill in him life-long hand-washing habits while he is still young.
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Instructions
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Teach by example. Let your child see you washing your hands. Make sure you wash your own hands whenever you would expect her to, such as after using the washroom, cleaning up a dirty mess, blowing your nose or before eating or handling food. Talk about hand washing to your child: "I'm going to make lunch, but first I have to wash my hands."
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Make your household hand washing area accessible to your child. Provide a stool if he is not tall enough to reach the tap comfortably. Offer fun supplies such as pumps that squirt foamy soap or bar soaps shaped like animals.
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Teach your child to wash thoroughly and to not rush. The Mayo Clinic recommends vigorous hand rubbing for at least 20 seconds with lathered soap. Have your child rub her hands for as long as it takes to sing the "Happy Birthday" song twice. Remind your child to wash all parts of her hands, including the palms, backs, wrists, between fingers and under fingernails.
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Find a children's book about germs and read it to your child. Colorful illustrations and easy-to-comprehend text will help him understand how germs spread and why he should wash his hands.
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Talk to your child about how different professions require regular hand washing. Describe how surgeons scrub before operating and food handlers wash their hands before preparing or serving food. Let your child know that hand washing is an important part of daily life both at home and elsewhere.
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Incorporate hand washing into your family's daily routine. Have all family members regularly wash hands before meals and after bathroom use, so that having clean hands becomes habitual and not an occasional occurrence.
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Tips & Warnings
Safeguard against your child forgetting to wash her hands after toileting by checking her hands when she emerges from the bathroom. Do this even if she says she has washed. If her hands do not appear to have been wet, send her back to the bathroom to wash again. She will soon learn that she cannot lie about having forgotten to wash her hands.
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- Photo Credit washing hands image by Julia Britvich from Fotolia.com
