Germs are tiny living microbes that can make us sick, especially if we don’t know how to protect ourselves against the harmful ones. Explaining to your children what they are and how to protect themselves against them can be a challenge. It’s not impossible, though!
First up, know your stuff. Read up and make a few crib notes on infections and prevention. This will help you to understand germs better. Knowing all about microorganisms and germ protection will make it easier for you to explain it convincingly.
Children learn by watching, listening and doing things. So, teaching your children about germs will require some innovation. Games, songs and activities about ‘bugs’ are a practical way to do this.
A game such as ‘glitter germs’ is a fun place to start. Sprinkle a small amount of glitter on your child’s hands, then allow them to touch various things around them to illustrate how easily the glitter is transferred. By likening the glitter to germs, you can show your kids how easily germs are spread. The next step is to show children how to wash the glitter off their hands. First, let them try to rinse the glitter off their hands in just water. Now, repeat the experiment, this time using soap and water. This will show how much more effective the second method is at removing the glitter ‘germs’. Now they can tackle the glitter on the objects they touched and remove those with soap and water too.
A song about washing hands is sure to delight them too. Get them to lather their hands thoroughly with Lifebuoy Handwash. Then, as they rinse the soap off, teach them the following song to the tune of row, row, row your boat:
Wash, wash, wash your hands
Be sure to use the soap!
Rub and scrub and scrub and rub
Germs go down the drain. HEY!
These entertaining tactics will help you to teach little ones about hygiene and good hand-washing practices.
Healthy kids make happy parents!
This post was sponsored by Lifebuoy.
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