Parents: Make Hand-washing Fun

Hand-washing for day-care students to school-age kids is important. Crowded conditions like classrooms or Sunday Day schools make it easy for germs to spread when good hygiene isn't used. It can help stop the spread of diseases from the sniffles of a cold to the spread of the flu. It is so important that we teach our little ones (or big ones if they haven't already learned how) to wash hands correctly.

Kids Want to Be Like You

Kids learn best through active movement (kinetic learning) and seeing (visual learning). You are your child's best teacher. The best way for you to teach your child how to wash hands is to be an example. Remember, kids want to be just like mom or dad.

Hand-washing Fun

Make hand wash time fun for your kids by using decorative soap dispensers. We have a rubber duckie soap dispenser that makes squirting soap on to wet hands fun. Make sure your child can reach the sink safely by using a safety stool. Because young children won't always remember to wash, help them to remember.

To help kids remember to wash, using a calendar using stars or stickers given for each time they appropriately wash their hands, can be a great reward to motivate your child. Just keep the calendar out of the bathroom! Make a separate small poster with a huge star on it as a reminder for the bathroom. For readers, make a poster out of a sticker of a favorite cartoon character asking them to wash their hands equals fun. For example your sign could read: Mickey Mouse wants you to wash your hands. Let the child make their own signs can be a fun family activity. Laminate your bathroom posters for easy cleaning. Make hand wash time fun for your kids by using decorative soap dispensers. We have a rubber duckie soap dispenser that makes squirting soap on to wet hands fun. Make sure your child can reach the sink safely by using a safety stool.

Many people forget to scrub their hands long enough. You can sing the ABC's with your child during hand washing. Or feel free to use the following song, written during my nursing school years, to help children to wash long enough. It corresponds to the steps to successful hand-washing and is set to the tune of "Row, Row. Row Your Boat".

The Hand Wash Song

Wet, wet, wet your hands,
Use soap to bubble up,
Rub and scrub until you're done,
then time to towel up.

Now you're almost done,
Off water, with a towel.
Put your towel in its place,
Clap and turn around.