Frequent hand-washing is a healthy habit that can reduce the transmission of respiratory illnesses, stomach viruses, and foodborne diseases. Establish these habits early with your children to promote child development and reduce their risk of illness. Here’s how to make hand-washing easy and fun for kids.

How to Teach Your Kids Hand-Washing Techniques

1. Set a Routine

Establish a hand-washing routine as soon as your youngster is old enough to follow it. When your preschooler is potty training, ensure they wash their hands after every trip to the bathroom.

Have kids wash their hands before meals and snacks. When they come in from playing outside, ask them to wash their hands. Setting this routine early in life will make hand-washing a habit.

2. Demonstrate Proper Hand-Washing

Give your kids a lesson in hand-washing until they learn how to do it on their own. A soapy, hands-on demonstration is an effective way to teach proper techniques.

Show kids how to turn on warm water, pump soap into their hands, massage the soap into a lather, rinse, and dry. Wash your hands together routinely to reinforce positive practices.

3. Time It Right

Ensure your kids understand that effective hand-washing takes more than a few seconds. Teach them to wash their hands for about 20 seconds each time. Associate the practice with singing “Happy Birthday” twice, saying the ABCs, or counting to 20.

4. Make It Fun

If you have a child who fights you on hand-washing, make it fun. Buy some kid-friendly, scented soaps that come in colorful packaging to make the process more engaging.

Challenge kids to see who can make the most soap bubbles in their hands. Fill the sink with bubbles during hand-washing time and let kids rinse them away. These tricks can make this child development step easier to manage.

Let your kids learn hand-washing techniques and so much more at Great Beginnings, an early childhood center with locations in St. Charles and Cottleville, MO. These centers feature highly trained staff and well-rounded curricula that promote child development. Children enjoy professional, individualized care, and families can choose from several available programs and summer camps. For more information, call the St. Charles location at (636) 724-5048 or Cottleville at (636) 447-4212. Learn more about available programs on the website.