Washing hands can be fun and more importantly can be integrated into school day activities.

Here are some ideas of what you can try:

Hand painting

Why not encourage children to finger paint as a fun way to learn? Washing off the paint is an innovative way to highlight the most frequently missed parts of the hands where bacteria can live if hands are not washed properly.

Cooking

Take the opportunity when you are cooking to reinforce the importance of clean hands and fingers before preparing food or eating it.

Outdoor activities – nature trails, gardening

There is no better way to show children the need to wash their hands through mud and dirt!

Examining hands

Use a magnifying glass to take a closer look at hands and nails. Show children places where germs can live and get them to inspect the lines on their hands and fingers.

Create a character – puppets, pictures, stories

Create ‘goody’ & ‘baddy’ characters such as Mr Soapy Soap and Mr Germy Germ to demonstrate the benefits of good hand hygiene through imagination and play.

Have fun with soap!

Show that washing hands is fun through the use of colourful child friendly soap dispensers and a foaming soap - children of all ages love to play with bubbles!

If we teach our children that good hand hygiene is fun then it will develop from being a game into normal behavior.