Hand Washing

This installment of Sunday Scaffolding focuses on an important skill for cold and flu season: hand washing! 

https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/pdf/wash-your-hands-poster-english2020-p.pdf

You can print this and put it in the bathroom your child uses most often, make copies to put in each bathroom or even have one by the kitchen sink.  If you plan to put this up near the sink, I’d suggest laminating it first. Laminators are available on amazon.com or at office supply stores. They’re not expensive and they help preserve any visuals you plan to use near water. 

Song

You want your child to scrub their hands for 20 seconds. We always sang the ABC’s as we did the scrubbing portion of washing our hands, but you can use any song that is 20 seconds long and motivates your child. Mikey loves cartoon theme songs and after years of watching them, we can all sing them from memory.

Routine

Reminding your child to wash their hands when they get home from school or an outing, before meals, and after using the bathroom will help cut down on sickness during this season when everyone seems to be coming down with something.

Modeling

Remember to model for your kids and if it motivates them, show them videos of cartoon characters washing their hands…video modeling can be powerful for our kiddos. If you-tube isn’t a problem for your child, there are about a million choices on there.

Hand Sanitizer

It’s also worth teaching your child how to rub in hand sanitizer and then refrain from putting his hands in his mouth…you won’t always have access to a sink and soap, so your kiddo needs to know this skill as well.