Make hand-washing fun in your classroom!
Now that school is back in session, you want to be proactive in keeping germs out of your classroom. While it might not be cold and flu season yet, this doesn't mean you can't keep your students healthy year round! One of the best ways to prevent illness is to encourage your students to wash their hands regularly.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes in the power of hand-washing so much, it reports that simply washing your hands can prevent 30 percent of diarrhea-related sicknesses and around 20 percent of respiratory infections. To keep your students feeling great this school year, here are a couple strategies to make hand-washing fun:
Make it educational
A great way to showcase the importance of hand-washing is to teach your kids about germs and how easy they are to spread. Start your activity by having all your students shake hands. Then, have them dip their hands in flour, glitter or another substance and ask them to repeat the process. Your students will be surprised at how easily it spreads! This is an engaging, messy way to get them to connect germs with contact.
Make it musical
Have your students sing their ABCs or a common nursery rhyme as they wash up. If you're the creative type, you can craft your own silly song that is special to your students. Either way, they will not only enjoy singing the song, but will also be getting their hands clean!
ProSolutions Training offers numerous online child care courses, such as "Handwashing: Clean Hands = Better Health!" to support early childhood educators in furthering their career development. Contact us today to learn more about our courses and services!
