Fun Games to Help Teach Kids to Wash Their Hands
Lifelong habits are formed in childhood, and proper hand washing is very important for children to learn at a young age. Once you've shown your child the right way to wash his hands, repetition is very important to solidify that teaching. Adding elements of fun to hand washing helps kids remember proper hand-washing techniques and to wash their hands often.
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Happy Birthday
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Many schools, preschools and daycare centers have adopted the "Happy Birthday" approach to hand washing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to become adequately clean, hands need to be rubbed together, lathering the soap, for about 20 seconds before they are rinsed -- or about as long as it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice. Most kids know the "Happy Birthday" song well enough to sing it on their own while washing their hands, so teach your child to sing "Happy Birthday" two times while she is lathering her hands. Adding the song makes hand washing a little more fun -- and it ensures your child will get her hands clean!
Kill the Monsters
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Above the sink where your child washes his hands, post a picture of a "germ monster," which can be any cartoon-like monster picture. You can draw the image yourself or find a suitable picture online. Laminate the picture so it doesn't get damaged from splashing. Show your child how to kill all the "germ monsters" on his hands by thoroughly soaping them and rinsing them with water. The picture serves to remind him that he is "attacking" those germ monsters every time he properly washes his hands.
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Hand-Washing Game Chart
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Add a twist to the old idea of a hand-washing chart. Instead of merely having your child put stickers on a chart or cross off the number of times she has washed her hands, make a game out of it. Create a chart resembling a game board, with the game spaces representing each hand wash. There are many ways you can approach this. You can attach adhesive hook-and-loop squares to each game space, then make a hook-and-loop-backed player piece that looks like your child. Your child can move his player forward one square each time she washes her hands. You can also make a fabric chart and sew pockets to represent the game spaces, with a doll or small toy figurine moving from pocket to pocket as your child progresses through the game. Make the final square a rewards square, which your child will earn each time she completes the game. Rewards could be things like a taking trip to the ice cream parlor, renting a movie of your child's choice or an allowing extended bedtime for one night.
Online Resources
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Various organizations have created free online resources to help get kids excited about hand washing and learn proper hand-washing techniques. Public health and safety company NSF International has created a cast of cartoon characters, called "The Scrub Club," to teach kids how to properly wash their hands. The Scrub Club website features hand-washing songs, interactive hand-washing games, a "Villains Gallery" teaching kids about different bacteria, downloadable hand-washing posters and activities, webisodes and resources for parents and teachers. Other hand-washing sites, like "Henry the Hand," offer free coloring books, posters and educational and parental resources. The University of Wyoming's Cooperative Extension Service has a cartoon troupe called "The Soaper Heroes," and the Soaper Heroes website features a "Clean Theatre" video for kids and a host of downloadable hand-washing activities and goodies, including Soaper Heroes tattoos.
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