This post is Sponsored by Dettol Soft on Skin Hand Wash.
There’s nothing quite like the freedom and pride one feels when their child learns to look after themselves, whether it’s making their own bed, learning to use the potty or dressing themselves! It give them a sense of pride and also gives them freedom to be more independent (not to mention making our own lives as parents easier!).
Today we would like to share 6 tips that have helped us to encourage and teach our own children to wash their hands thoroughly and independently, as well as providing a FREE and FUN printable to help make the learning process FUN!
Here are our top 6 tips –
- Start Young!
It’s a great idea to get babies used to the idea of washing their hands before eating, after playtime, outside play and messy play. Hand wipes are the best option for younger babies but once they can stand/walk they should be encouraged to wash with soap and water. - Use the right product!
It’s a good idea to choose an antibacterial hand wash to help make sure you are restricting the spread of germs. We use Dettol Soft on Skin liquid hand wash. It’s soft on skin but hard on germs (killing 99.9% of germs). It’s been fantastic with my children who often suffer from dry skin!The hand wash is available in 5 different scents, it not only smells great but it also leaves my hands feeling soft and moisturised for up to 3 hours! - Sing a song!
Singing a simple hand washing song can help in many ways. It will remind the children of the areas they need to clean and it will also ensure they clean their hands long enough. Here is an example of the song we sing at home and also the song they sing at my child’s childcare centre.
“This is the way we wash our hands
back and front and in between.
This is the way we wash our hands
to make them nice and clean.” - Foam it up!
It’s very important that children know to wet their hands, apply hand wash and rub until it gets to a good lather. We give positive feedback as they foam their soap “Wow, look at all the foamy bubbles you’ve made!”. After all, what child doesn’t enjoy making bubbles! - Lead by example!
The BIGGEST tip and the BEST thing you can do is lead by example! Children learn so much from watching others especially their family members…don’t be afraid to sing along as you wash your hands too! I’ve been known to do it even when the children aren’t around! Lol! - Dry, dry, dry!
Our last tip is to help educate your children to dry their clean hands afterward! Most kindy and daycare centres use paper towels but a nice regularly washed hand towel will do the trick at home. Germs like nothing more than a warm and moist area to breed and spread!
Here’s a FUN and FREE Printable Board Game that your children might enjoy playing to help them learn the importance of hand washing hygiene! Simply print, cut out the ‘germ’ game pieces, roll a die and play! You may choose to laminate the board for repeat use. Download for FREE here.
Jenni recently wrote a great blog based around cleaning your bathroom in under 5 minutes a day check it out here!
We have some other fun videos for you to view too! You can check them out here.
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This post is coordinated by The Remarkables Group
