How to Teach Hygiene to Elementary Students

Wash your hands consistently to help prevent germs from spreading.

Personal hygiene is important for every individual in the world; we all need to keep our bodies clean to remain germ-free and healthy. Teaching the basics of hygiene to elementary students might seem challenging at first, but incorporating exciting lessons together with factual information can help direct their focus.

Instructions

1. Prepare a lesson for the elementary students based on oral and personal hygiene facts. To make the lesson more interesting and engaging for the students, implement some visual aids and activities to pique the students' interest.

2. Cover the basics of oral hygiene: brushing after every meal, flossing and checking for cavities. Explain how flossing prevents plaque from building up between the teeth and gums. Provide toothbrushes and floss for each student and teach them the proper way to use these oral hygiene items.

3. Explain how the human body needs to bathed regularly to be clean of germs; have all the students take turns at a sink to be instructed in the proper way of washing their hands.

4. Print out a checklist for each student that covers the daily hygiene basics, so that they can bring it home and practice their personal hygiene every day.

Tips & Warnings

• Visual aids are a great tool when trying to get your point across to elementary students; for example, gather the students around a sink and teach them the most efficient way to wash their hands. Lessons that are taught through action tend to stick in a child's mind.

References

• Parents.com; Hygiene Basics For Kids; Felicia Megginson
• Adha.org; Child Oral Health
• Cdc.gov; Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives