Wash Those Germs Away!

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In an effort to stay healthy and prevent germs from spreading in our home, cure I decided to teach my children about germs and the importance of washing their hands through some fun activities.

Before starting this activity, healing we read several books about germs. Here are a few suggestions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we did a hands-on activity to learn how germs spread. I poured glitter into a small antibacterial gel bottle.

Next, I squirted the glitter gel in the hands of my children. (You could also give them lotion and pour glitter on their hands afterwards.) I gave them toys and coins to play with. I made sure my toddler was careful to only touch the coins and not put them in his mouth! They noticed how the glitter spread all around on anything they touched. We discussed how that is similar to how germs spread. Everytime we cough, sneeze, or blow our nose we need to cover our mouths and wash our hands to prevent germs from spreading. I explained that germs are so tiny that we cannot see them!

We then talked about how important it is to wash our hands. I had the boys wash their hands with soap and water to clean the glitter off their hands. I taught them this song to sing while washing their hands:  

(Tune: Row Your Boat)

Wash, wash, wash your hands

Soap will make them clean.

Scrub the germs til they fall off,

to make them nice and clean! 

To help us remember the importance of washing hands, we made a craft with glitter hands. I used 2 foam hands from a package of foam hands found in the Target dollar section. You could also used traced hands. I had my preschooler spread glue all around the hands.

Next, he poured glitter all around the hands.

I shook off the extra glitter and then we glued them onto a piece of construction paper. We added the words to our washing hands song.

Then we hung up our picture to remind us how important it is to wash those germs away!

What are some ways you use to teach children about germ prevention?