Children love getting their hands dirty playing games, in the garden or painting. If you can make handwashing a part of their day-to-day activities, they are more likely to do it. Here are some suggestions below:
- Make a reward system for the number of times hands are washed – you could make it into a game so that children keep track of their handwashing and get a prize if they meet their plan.
- Lead by example – show your children how and when to wash their hands by doing it with them. You could even make it a competition with all your family and the one who washes their hands the most wins.
- Sing songs whilst washing hands – then it becomes fun and is easy to do for at least 20 seconds.
- Give your children their own soap – that way it seems special and belongs to them. There are lots of soaps in bright packets and with interesting smells. Or you could put a picture of their favourite cartoon character on or near it.
- Use hand gel – for children who are too young to wash their hands try wiping hand gel on them, then they will grow up being used to keeping their hands clean.
If you explain to children that they can get germs on their hands that will make them ill, it will encourage them to wash their hands regularly.
In a scientific study, children (aged 0-17 years) were given information every fortnight on the advantages of handwashing. After 5 months the amount of soap and hand gel they used changed as compared to children who were not given the information.
- The children who received the handwashing information used more soap and hand gel than those who did not.
- Overall, the children who used more soap and hand gel had less illnesses than the other children.
