Essay On Handwashing

Young Children and Handwashing

Introduction

Young children may not understand why hand hygiene is so important, or what is required to be able to properly preform hand washing. Handwashing allows children a chance to take an active role in their health. We want to teach them the importance of how, when and why they should preform hand hygiene. We want children to understand that not preforming hand hygiene can not only pass germs on to others, but can also cause illnesses. The handwashing message needs to be reinforced several times throughout the day for young children.

Health Need

One priority health education need for children is that they need to learn that without proper hand hygiene, it has been proven that people can become ill from

The first teaching strategy that will be used is an interactive activity taken from the Glogerm.com (2017), their suggestion for younger children from kindergarten to grade 2, is to take a spray bottle filled with clean water and spray each child’s hands telling them that the droplets represent germs. Have the children each touch an object in the room, and ask what happened to the object when it was touched. Explain that when they sneeze into their hands and then touch an object, the germs are transferred from our hands onto that object. Then ask them what do they think would happen if one of their friends then touch the object after they have sneezed into their hands. Also explain to the children that if they wash their hands after sneezing or coughing into their hands, they will wash those germs away and there will be a less chance that other people will become

To teach young children proper hand hygiene, you will want to make the next interactive activity fun and entertaining for them to be willing to learn. For the teaching resource that will be implemented there will be a PowerPoint made with more pictures than words, as well as a short video called Hand Washing for Kids - Get Rid of Germs Learn How to Wash Your Hands by Billy Gorrily (2015) included, which is a child friendly YouTube video about 3 minutes in length describing the how, when and whys of handwashing. The video makes learning for young children entertaining with an explanation, as well as a song that children can sing to remember how long to wash their hands. At the end of the PowerPoint leave the floor open for the children and ask if they have any