Clean children's hands are back in focus with the re-opening of schools and daycare centres!

When businesses, kindergartens, and schools open their doors once again, the focus is shifting back to correct hand hygiene in the young ones for parents, teachers, and childcare professionals, even as everyone is breathing a sign of relief thanks to the step-by-step easing of the lockdowns. Caution and attentiveness are required! In order to protect one's self from undesired viruses such as the coronavirus as well as gastrointestinal germs, the cold virus, and influenza, the correct hand hygiene is essential! For adults, hand washing is a natural, everyday routine. Children, on the other hand, first need to learn it! But with the right tricks and a bit of creativity, the cleanliness education will be as easy as child's play - for both parents and children!

Why is correct hand washing important?

Children are told from a young age that washing their hands is important. But very few children know why.

When groups of people get together and touch the same objects, lots of germs gather on all of those surfaces. This happens not only in kindergartens or schools, but also in the supermarket, on the playground, and in other public places. Viruses and bacteria can hid everywhere and make themselves very comfortable on our hands and land in our bodies via our mouths, noses, and eyes without us noticing.

Have you ever payed attention to how often you touch your face on a given day? If your hands haven't been washed, germs will make a path for your mouth and nose. In order to break the path of contagion so that germs can't expand any further, the right hand hygiene is needed!

Why wash your hands? Explain it to kids so they can understand!

Who hasn't heard it before? Washing their hands can be a real chore for kids if they're not motivated to do it and they don't understand the need for it.

In order to familiarise their children with hygiene education, parents can let their creativity run free - just like with oral hygiene! From explanation aids like "the dirty monsters that will make you sick have to be washed away" to illustrative experiences to make how much dirt is actually on their hands visible..

The washing process should also absolutely be fun so that it's even easier for them to internalise it!

Here are a few tips:

•Turn the sink into a place of adventure with a fun soap dispenser or colourful soap in different animal shapes, and kids will wash their hands gladly.
•Make your own soap! There are some great DIY sets with which you can make soap yourself together with the kids! And washing your hands with self-made soap is twice as much fun.
•Make up your own hand-washing song that you can sing together while washing your hands. The melody will get stuck in their heads and the hand-washing process will automatically get longer!
•For role-playing purposes, a hygiene "constable" can be named who sends every family member to the sink when they get home or before meals.

Children's hands will get clean in no time!

For kids, the hand-washing process usually can't be over quickly enough. That's why an adequate length of time and plenty of water and soap are the most important things! Only then will all the disease-causing germs be eliminated.
Here are the most important steps for correct hand hygiene:
1. Make your hands wet
2. Dispense soap and lather it in your hand
3. Rub the palms and backs of your hands, fingers, and thumbs all together while singing the rhyming song
4. Rinse off the dirt and soap under running water
5. Try your hands well
6. A disinfectant is not necessarily required. But if desired, make sure to take care of children's delicate skin on their hands!

An extra tip for nature burrowers: A soft children's hand brush ensures that even tough dirt under their fingernails can be removed.

More about the author

Patrick, Team Leader, Quality Management

at small foot since

2 Children, Girl: Lotta (2), Girl: Leo (5)

Why do you like working for small foot?

Because I've got quite the many-sided job with new challenges every day. I can flexibly organise the work. And I only have a 15-minute bike ride to work. A wonderful work-life balance!

What's something you particularly like about small foot toys?

What I appreciate the most is the high percentage of wood material used in small foot toys.

What is your favorite small foot toy?

From the grip toys to Ludo, there's just something for everyone. But if I have to choose only one, it has to be Ludo. It's a classic game that's easy to understand and to play.

published on 28.05.2020
from the category „Tips & Tricks for parents“