Hand Washing and Managing Germs

We all want healthy, happy children. Let’s teach them the golden rule in defending against illness. Good hand washing is the best line of defence against the spread of many illnesses from colds to COVID-19, to many other serious infections.

Every child likes to touch, touch and well, touch! Don’t underestimate the importance of regular handwashing. It will help to prevent children picking up germs as they touch different things throughout the day and help keep your children healthy.

Handwashing can be boring, a chore, so we’ve put together some ways to make it fun.

Practice makes perfect!

Routines create habits and practice makes perfect. At our Exmouth nursery, we make sure that regular hand washing takes place. The children wash their hands frequently, before meals, after using the toilet and after garden play to ensure good hygiene.

We want to make learning fun for all the children of Devon Nurseries and our settings conduct regular activities such as hand washing tuff trays, animal washing and germ spotting for the children to learn about hand washing, whilst having fun! Learning through play is a key at Devon Nurseries.

The Learning Behind

Throughout our hand washing activities across Devon Nurseries, our staff will always explain the WHY to the children. We want them to understand the vital lessons that come with hand washing and how it protects us. During activities, the children talk about when they wash their hands. “Before dinner and lunch!”, “When you go to the toilet!” and “Before I go to bed!”

Tips at Home

Do you need tips to help your children get into the habit of washing their hands at home? Here are some things you can try to keep hand washing fun:

  • Offer choices of different colour/scents of soap (mindful of allergies).
  • Let children decide what soap they want to use.
  • Sing a song! There are plenty of options on YouTube or, even better, make up your own personalised song with your child.
  • Wash your hands with them.
  • Keep a routine; wash hands regularly and routinely.