Beginning at about 3 years of age, kids can begin learning the importance of practicing good hygiene. Teaching children to wash their hands helps prevent illnesses and infection from being spread, especially when you consider how often they touch their mouth, nose and eyes throughout the day. Aside from hand washing, every other aspect of practicing good hygiene is essential to the health of your child. You can help your kids to start healthy hygiene routines that will last a lifetime by associating fun activities with the act of cleanliness.
Wash Your Hands
When most kids wash their hands, they frequently fail to complete numerous important steps, which may leave you wondering if any germs were removed at all. Children should be taught that soap and water are required when washing their hands, and the soap must remain in contact with the hands for an extended period of time. To give your child an idea of how long to scrub with the soap, have him sing a song while he is washing. This will ensure he soaps up his hands long enough to eliminate the germs. Have your child get his hands wet and then turn the water off. Instruct him to start scrubbing with the soap as he starts to sing. Have him sing either "Happy Birthday," the alphabet song or "Twinkle Twinkle." Once the song is complete, turn the water back on and have him rinse the soap from his hands.
Brush Your Teeth
Tooth-brushing time is often difficult with many families. Have your child pick out her own toothpaste and brush. She may be more excited to use items she has chosen herself and be more enthusiastic about brushing as a result. Squeeze a small amount of toothpaste onto her brush and sing to her as she brushes her teeth and have her brush until the song is over. Have her look at herself in a mirror as she brushes so she can make sure she gets all of her teeth clean. When she has finished brushing, inspect her mouth to ensure the teeth are clean. If the teeth are not clean to your satisfaction, tell her that she missed a spot and have her brush any teeth that were missed.
Another fun option is a timed toothbrush. These brushes have lights that blink and music that plays and lets your child known when she has brushed long enough. There is also rinses that can be used before or after brushing that serves as a visual reminder of the areas that need additional brushing.
Hygiene Chart
Making a hygiene chart provides your child with a visual reminder of the personal hygiene tasks that he must complete on a daily basis, according to It's a Mom's World. Make a space for each day and use the chart to show which hygiene tasks he needs to complete on a daily basis. When he completes a task, such as washing his hands after going to the restroom or brushing his teeth, fill in the correct space with a smiley face or sticker. Offer a reward at the end of the week for filling in the entire chart.
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