Good hygiene has never been more important, but it doesn’t come easily to kids. They’re bent on exploring their surroundings from babyhood, when they put everything into their mouths, then splash about with food and paints before graduating to mud pies and glitter cards, and as teens, leaving caps off toothpaste and trails of grubby clothes.
Start by ensuring your children understand the coronavirus, explaining it in simple, age-appropriate terms, without spreading alarm. This will help them buy into the importance of good hygiene practices, and of keeping a safe distance from other people – especially older or immune-compromised members of the family. But, most importantly, model the behaviour yourself, leading by calm example to instill these healthy habits.
Handwashing
Authorities from the World Health Organization to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases stress that this is key to preventing the spread of the coronavirus. Explain to kids that germs (the virus) are like invisible glitter on surfaces around them, and must be washed off so they don’t make them sick. Show them how to wash hands thoroughly with soap for the time it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song twice. Alternatively, set a timer and praise them for regular handwashing, and give them points on a chart.
Not touching their faces
Explain that it’s when they touch their mouth, nose or eyes that the ‘germ glitter’ can get into their bodies. Make a game out of seeing how few times you can all touch your faces, with a small reward for whoever touches the fewest times.
Coughing or sneezing into their elbows or a tissue, not their hands
Explain that this way, they can’t spread germ glitter to other people and make them sick, especially older people.
If they’re old enough, helping to keep their room clean
Teach them how to safely disinfect high-touch surfaces like tables, hard-backed chairs, doorknobs, light switches and plastic toys every day; and to wash plush toys periodically in soapy water.
Image credit: 123rf.com