Handwashing helps create a barrier against germs and disease, especially for children who tend to touch everything and play outdoors. With the added concern of Covid-19, there has never been a better time to ensure your children understand the importance of handwashing. Here’s how to make handwashing a fun habit:
When should you wash your hands?
Before touching food and after going to the toilet, playing, being in crowded spaces and contact with animals.
How should you be washing your hands?
It should take at least 15 seconds to wash your hands – any less and you may not have killed harmful bacteria.
- Wet your hands with clean water.
- Squeeze soap or hand wash onto your hands so that you have enough to cover entire surface of hands.
- Rub your hands together with your palms facing each other.
- Place your right palm over the back of your other hand and interlace your fingers, then repeat on the other hand.
- Rub your hands together palm to palm, making sure that your fingers are interlocking.
- Place hands palm to palm, with fingers facing opposite directions. Slide your hands away from each other and bend fingertips so that your hands are interlocked. Rub the backs of your fingers against the opposing palm.
- Using your right hand, make a fist around your left thumb and rub, then repeat on the other hand.
- Clasp the fingers of your right hand together and rub your left palm with a circular motion, then do the same on the other hand.
- Rinse hands with water.
- Dry thoroughly with a towel.
Read our Clean Hands article.
Lifebuoy suggests the following five ways to make handwashing an easy, and fun habit for the whole family
Sing a song
The correct amount of time to wash hands correctly with soap is 20 seconds. You could sing the alphabet, Old MacDonald or make up your own healthy handwashing song to track the time.
Track and reward
Start a 21-day handwashing calendar and add stickers as a reward for each time handwashing is completed.
Watch this fun handwashing video
Make it routine
Many parents find it best to build handwashing into their everyday routine.
Make it easier
Make it easier for kids to reach the basin by adding a stool or step so they can easily reach everything. Create a more fun bathroom environment by adding a fun soap dish or stickers to the mirror.
Relearn the alphabet to make handwashing a habit
Lifebuoy and The Department of Basic Education are changing the ABC by changing the way the letter ‘H’ in the alphabet is being taught to become the universally accepted symbol for “handwashing”.
You can help by teaching your little one their ABCs, and the importance of washing their hands.
Click here to download the Lifebuoy Alphabet Cards and play a fun game.
For more cleaning tips to stop the spread of germs, read here
Content supplied: Lifebuoy
