From washing hands to brushing teeth, proper hygiene habits help ensure the health of your child. Germs are everywhere, clinging to door knobs and handles, and peppering your child's video game controller. To prevent illness and help minimize the spread of germs, encourage personal hygiene habits. If your child is resistant to bathing, brushing her teeth or washing her hands, use fun activities to get your child to follow proper hygiene practices.
Hand Washing Experiment
An important hygiene practice, your child should wash his hands before meals, after using the restroom, and after sneezing, coughing or blowing his nose. However, technique matters when it comes to washing hands. Your child should use soap and warm water, lathering and washing for 15 seconds, advises "Parents" magazine.
Teach your child the importance of technique with a fun hand-washing experiment recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cover an area with newspaper and place your child with a partner. One child will be the hand-washer and the other will be the recorder. The hand-washer places 1 tsp. of washable paint on the palm of her hand, rubs her hands together and allows the paint to dry--the paint represents germs. When the paint is dry, the hand-washer goes to the sink and a blindfold is placed over her eyes. Ask her to wash her hands using only water for one second. The recorder blots the washer's hands dry and records how clean her hands are. Ask the washer to wash for four seconds and again for 15 seconds with the recorder observing how clean her hands are each time. When the washer finishes, children trade positions and the recorder becomes the washer. Ask the children to repeat the process but incorporates soap into the washing process this time.
Bath Time Fun
Encourage bathing by providing your child with entertainment. Bath toys, such as the classic rubber ducky, work well. Anything that floats also can provide bath time fun for your child. Use such common household items as plastic stacking cups, watering cans or floating balls to make the activity more interesting. Additionally, you can buy products made specifically for bath time, such as bath crayons and washcloths that look like animals or puppets. When your child is young, supervise his bathing and show him child how to wash. Activities that make bath time fun encourage proper hygiene, though.
Brush Teeth Together
Proper hygiene includes brushing teeth. The American Dental Association recommends brushing your teeth at least twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste. Getting your child to follow dentists' recommendations, however, may not be easy. Encourage proper oral hygiene by brushing your teeth with your child to model proper habits. The Family Education website also recommends you and your child brush each other's teeth to make the habit fun. To show your child the proper method, model the behavior using a doll or stuffed animal. Use the doll to explain to your child the steps you're taking to make sure the toy's teeth don't get cavities, recommends Family Education.
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