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Key Points
- The article emphasizes the importance of personal hygiene in children, particularly hand washing, in preventing the spread of germs, especially in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
- It explains the concept of germs to children, highlighting that not all germs are harmful, and that good hygiene habits can help combat harmful germs.
- The article provides practical hygiene tips for children and teens, such as staying home when sick, covering mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, washing hands correctly, avoiding touching the face, disinfecting common areas and objects, and getting vaccinated.
- It also offers suggestions for parents on how to encourage their children to practice good hygiene, including making hand washing fun by singing songs, giving friendly reminders, rewarding good hygiene, and explaining the consequences of poor hygiene.
- The article concludes by reminding parents that while it's impossible to completely protect children from germs, practicing good hygiene can significantly reduce the risk of spreading diseases like COVID-19.
Kids know to wash their hands. But so do adults, and that doesn’t change the all-too-common occurrence of someone leaving the bathroom without washing their hands. There’s a gap between what we know to be true about germs and what we collectively do to prevent spreading them.
Why do kids need good personal hygiene?
Germs are everywhere. Think about everything you touch on a daily basis...then remember what it was like to be a curious kid.
Children are more likely to come in contact with shared supplies than most adults, especially in large group settings like daycare, school, and extracurriculars. Hand washing is one of the best ways to stop germs from spreading, especially with the continued threat of COVID-19.
How to Explain Personal Hygiene to Kids
To help kids understand why good hygiene like hand washing is so important, start with the basics of germs.
- First, germs aren’t scary. In fact, our bodies are made of germs! We have 10x more bacteria than we do human cells.
- Good germs keep us healthy, supporting our immune systems in many, many ways.
- There are bad germs, too, that can make us feel sick. But the good news is, we know how to fight them: with good hygiene habits like washing our hands.
Hygiene Tips for Kids
Now that you and your family understand the role of good germs, you can focus your energy towards keeping bad germs at bay with simple precautions. Here are some easy hygiene tips for kids and teens:
- Stay home when you’re sick: When you are sick, your body is especially weak and unable to best fight new viruses and germs. Counter this by staying at home and focusing on getting better.
- Cover your mouth and nose: cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue. Tell kids that if they don’t have a tissue handy, they should play “vampire” and sneeze into their inner elbow, then wash their hands and arm immediately after.
- Wash your hands correctly: show kids how to wet their hands, turn off the tap to conserve water, apply soap, and scrub for 15+ seconds. (Don’t forget in between the fingers, under the nails, and the backs of the hands.)
- Keep your hands off your face: your fingers and hands are in contact with doorknobs, handrails, keyboards, money, and all sorts of other surface areas and objects. When we touch our faces, we are spreading those viruses to our face and giving them a greater chance of entering our system.
- Disinfect common areas and objects, including the following, because you’ll never believe what they’re covered with:
- children’s pens, pencils and markers
- cell phones
- remote controls
- computer keyboards
- door knobs
- handrails
- refrigerator handles
- light switches
- Get vaccinated: Explain to kids that getting a vaccine is like giving your immune system a picture of the bad germs, so it can turn them away when they try to get inside your house. Make sure all adults in your household are vaccinated, as well as any kids 12 and older.
Haven’t received the COVID-19 vaccine? Book a same-day appointment on Solv, and check out our Vaccine Resource Center for answers to common questions and concerns.
What to do when your kid refuses proper hygiene and hand washing
Just because your child knows they should wash their hands doesn’t mean they will, especially when they’re in a hurry to move on to the next thing. Try these tips to make personal hygiene for kids less of a chore:
Make it musical: Pick a catchy song for your child to sing as they wash their hands. An easy-to-remember one is singing “Happy Birthday” twice, but you can easily substitute any of your child’s favorites. (Bonus: Make up a silly song of your own.)
Give friendly reminders: Younger grade-schoolers in particular will be tempted to “splash and dash,” or briefly run their hands under water without lathering for 15 seconds. Watch your kids as they wash their hands and gently remind them to use soap. It’s normal for kids to dismiss the importance of good hygiene —or to simply forget— so try to be patient.
Reward good hygiene: It sounds simple, but making clean hands a prerequisite for snacks, games, and meals helps children associate the chore with the reward.
Connect the consequences: As you remind kids to wash their hands, also remind them why: because spreading bathroom germs or outside germs can make them —or their family and friends— feel sick. Washing hands helps keep bad germs away so everyone can have more fun.
While you can never completely safeguard your kids against germs, these tips will help your chances of spreading diseases like COVID-19. In the unfortunate event that you or your kid starts showing symptoms of a cold or virus, quickly make a same-day doctor appointment on Solv.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it important for kids to maintain good personal hygiene?
Good personal hygiene is crucial for kids as they are more likely to come in contact with shared supplies than most adults, especially in large group settings like daycare, school, and extracurriculars. Hand washing is one of the best ways to stop germs from spreading, especially with the continued threat of COVID-19.How can we explain the importance of personal hygiene to kids?
To explain the importance of personal hygiene to kids, start with the basics of germs. Explain that our bodies are made of germs, some of which are good and help keep us healthy. However, there are also bad germs that can make us sick. We can fight these bad germs with good hygiene habits, like washing our hands.What are some hygiene tips for kids and teens?
Some hygiene tips for kids and teens include staying home when they're sick, covering their mouth and nose when they cough or sneeze, washing their hands correctly, keeping their hands off their face, disinfecting common areas and objects, and getting vaccinated.What should be done when a child refuses to maintain proper hygiene and hand washing?
If a child refuses to maintain proper hygiene and hand washing, try to make it fun. You can pick a catchy song for them to sing as they wash their hands, give friendly reminders, reward good hygiene, and remind them of the consequences of not washing their hands, such as spreading germs that can make them or others sick.How can we make hand washing fun for kids?
One way to make hand washing fun for kids is to pick a catchy song for them to sing as they wash their hands. This not only makes the process more enjoyable, but also ensures they wash their hands for the recommended amount of time.How can we encourage kids to stay home when they're sick?
Explain to kids that when they are sick, their body is weak and unable to best fight new viruses and germs. By staying at home and focusing on getting better, they can prevent the spread of germs to others.Why is it important to disinfect common areas and objects?
It's important to disinfect common areas and objects because they can be covered with germs. By disinfecting these areas, we can reduce the spread of harmful germs and viruses.Why is vaccination important in maintaining good hygiene?
Vaccination is like giving your immune system a picture of the bad germs, so it can turn them away when they try to get inside your body. This is an important part of maintaining good hygiene as it helps prevent the spread of diseases.
