When I was six, my class took a field trip to a health fair designed for children, and I still remember some of the tips we heard there. Unfortunately some kids are never given the option of attending such an event, and with most schools putting off health education until junior high, we have to be the ones to teach them good personal hygiene.
Start working with your children when they’re young. Some companies make sanitary products designed specifically for younger children. One of the best items is the foam pump hand soap; it looks like a normal bottle of soap, but when the pump is pushed down, the soap comes out in a foam form. Kids seem to love watching it, and if you can make personal hygiene fun, the kids are going to be more apt to learn. Hand washing is one of the most important things kids should learn because it prevents germs from entering the body and according to a recent study, can reduce the percentage of pneumonia and infections in children, especially kids under the age of five. It is also important to teach kids to wash their hands for at least 15 seconds; make it fun by playing a game, or singing a song that lasts at least 20 seconds so the child has something to remember the rule.
Adults who are not taught proper person hygiene techniques in childhood are likely to never learn, which makes teaching children the right ways even more important. Teach kids simple things like take a shower (or bath) daily, wash their neck/ears/etc., brush their teeth several times a day, and wash their hands. These are the basic concepts that we know as adults, and we learned during our childhood.
Children are susceptible to the things that happen around them, and they learn by example and repetition. If they are continually exposed to the adults in their life showing proper hygiene etiquette, then they will be more likely to mimic that behavior. When my niece was 3 years old, she became obsessed by the bottle of foam soap in our bathroom and had to have her own bottle at home, which actively involved her in the process of washing her hands. The same thing happened after she saw me brushing my teeth; it became her goal to have her own toothbrush and tube of toothpaste. It is also important to start early, as it will have more time to settle in the child’s mind, and they will learn earlier how to do it on their own without your prompting.
If you need some quick ideas for making learning fun, check out local teacher supply stores in your area, which should have a few lesson plans or games for teaching personal hygiene. The most important thing is to just have fun with the process and show your kids that personal hygiene doesn’t have to be a chore.
