How to Teach Hand Washing
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, washing hands is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of infection and illness. A person should wash his hands before eating, after using the toilet, after blowing his nose or coughing and after touching garbage. Teach proper handwashing at home and make it a normal part of everyday life.
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Instructions
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Teach by example. You must model proper behavior. Allow your child to see you in the bathroom washing your hands whenever possible. You want your child to get used to washing hands and not think of it as a chore.
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Talk about germs and explain why it is important to wash. You can read books about germs and get your child involved by asking questions about germs. Alternatively, play a game. Ask your child to draw pictures of germs. Put the timer on for a half hour. Ask your child to tape the pictures on everything he touches in that period. When the timer goes off, talk about all the places that have germs and how easily it is to spread germs.
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Provide a comfortable washing area. Keep a child stool for small children. Place soaps with amusing shapes in the washing area.
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Demonstrate the proper washing method. Wash hands with clean water and apply soap. Rub hands together and scrub the backs of hands, between fingers and under nails. Rinse hands. Dry hands by using a clean towel or air drying.
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Teach the proper amount of time to wash. A hand wash needs to be 20 seconds. An easy way to keep track is to sing the happy birthday song twice.
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Ask a child to wash for you and point out areas in which he can do better, such as washing longer or getting the backs of the hands.
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Place handwashing reminders in the bathroom where the child can see. Hang a picture of someone washing his hands, for example.
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References
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