Games to Teach Kids About Personal Hygiene

Germ Awareness

• Kids won't understand the importance of hygiene unless they understand its purpose. This can involve coloring cartoons of germs and emphasizing the negative effects of germs. You can use finger paint or food coloring (plain household kitchen flour would also work for this) to illustrate how germs are spread. Place the paint, food coloring or flour on their fingers and hands, then show how when surfaces are touched, the "germs" are spread.

Illness Prevention

• Show kids what happens when they sneeze and cough and why it's important to cover their mouth and nose when they do. You will need a clean spray bottle. If you have a good light source to spray the water in front of, fill the water bottle with plain water. If you don't have a light source to work with, put a small amount of dark food coloring in the water.

  Explain to the kids that when they sneeze or cough small droplets of moisture are expelled into the air and onto surrounding surfaces, including people. While coughing or sneezing, spray the bottle contents in front of the light source or onto light-colored paper. The contrasts in color and light will show the kids what is being emitted into the air. Show them how to cover their nose and mouths to prevent the spread of germs.

  To help them remember to do this, try using a reward system like stickers to give them incentive remember to cover their mouths with the inside of their arm when they sneeze.

Singing to Teach Hand Washing

• When your kids begin to wash their hands, have them start singing a song like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or "Happy Birthday" twice to keep them scrubbing long enough for sanitizing purposes.