How to Teach Hand Washing to School Aged Children
Proper hygiene can help prevent the spread of illnesses in the classroom, including the common cold. Taking some time in the first days of the school year to teach children proper hand washing practices can save them countless hours of sniffling and many absences for the rest of the year. This is especially important for preschool and kindergarten teachers, but even if your students are not in school for the first time, they may need a reminder.
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Things You'll Need
- Book about germs
- Pretend sink station (optional)
- Soap
- Paper towels
- Clean waste paper basket
- Stool
- Worksheets or coloring pages (optional)
Instructions
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Read a book about germs or hygeine to children to introduce the topic. Explain the importance of washing hands to prevent the spread of germs that cause illnesses.
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Decide where you want to teach the lesson on hand washing. If you have a bathroom in the classroom, you may wish to bring in a few students at a time to demonstrate and have them practice, while you leave the rest of the class with an assistant doing another task. Alternately, set up a pretend sink station in the classroom to show the kids all at once.
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Set up soap, paper towels and a clean waste paper basket lined with a garbage bag. If you are going into a bathroom to teach them hand washing, make sure it is clean and everything is in the correct place.
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Provide students with a safe stool to stand on if they need help reaching the sink. Instruct students to pull up their sleeves and turn on the water.
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Demonstrate wetting and lathering up your hands. Tell kids to sing a song as they wash, such as "Happy Birthday" or "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Explain that the song will help them know that they have been washing long enough to kill the germs.
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Rinse your hands. Teach students how to take a paper towel without touching any other surfaces. Demonstrate drying hands and instruct the kids to turn off the water faucet with the paper towel to avoid getting any germs back on their hands.
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Show students how to open a door with the paper towel still in their hand, and then to toss it in the trash before leaving the bathroom. Give students the opportunity to practice as you supervise. Praise them for doing a good job.
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Follow up the lesson, if desired, with a worksheet, coloring pages or recap about germs and hygiene.
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Tips & Warnings
Put a poster up in the bathroom reminding students of the proper hand washing procedure. Put up a bathroom chart so that students can check that they have followed proper procedure.
Never leave detergents, lotions or supplies other than soap out on the counter in the bathroom where children wash their hands.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images
