As your child gets ready to attend preschool, one concern most mothers have is of their children catching germs and getting sick. That’s what usually happens. When your child goes to school, he makes more social contacts every day. Also, these kids are very inquisitive about their surroundings. They like to touch everything. This makes him more at risk of catching all kinds of diseases.
Children at this age don’t really know how to protect themselves from germs. That’s why we have to teach kids about germs at an early age.
What Are Germs and What Do They Do?
Germs are tiny living organisms. They are so tiny you can’t even see them. But they are mostly found in dirty and unclean surfaces. When we touch these surfaces, germs enter our bodies.
When they enter our bodies, they make us sick. These germs try to stay in our bodies and steal our energy. When they do that, we feel sick. We can get vomiting, diarrhea, fever, rashes, etc.
You don’t want that. That’s why it’s important to teach kids about germs. Making it fun will make it easier for them to understand and apply the concept.
7 Fun Ways to Teach Kids About Germs
7 Fun Ways to Teach Kids About Germs:
Glitter Germs
This can turn a bit messy. Rub some glitter on your hands. Now proceed to touch everything in your surroundings. Touch your child. Let him observe how glitter is transferring to everything you touch. Now wash your hands and show him the clean hands.
Use this as an example to tell your child how germs spread and how to kill them.
Wash Your Hands Song
Children love to sing songs. These are part of their development process. Introduce a wash your hands in their list of songs. This will make it easier for them to remember to wash their hands properly.
You can sing the song every time your child washes his hand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDHJW4r3elE
The Potato Experiment
Peel and cut a potato into two pieces. Offer your child to touch the piece of potato with dirty hands. Now ask your child to wash his hands, and give him the second piece to touch. Transfer both into separate Ziplock bags. Label the bags. Put them in a dark corner for one day and show him the difference between both.
Make a Germ Model
Children are visual creatures. If they don’t see it, they don’t get it. To teach kids about germs, use sticky balls as an example. Demonstrate how the stick to almost everything they touch.
The Germ Book
Reading to your kids is one of the best ways to transfer information. Bring out the Do not lick this book, out at bedtime. This book is about a microbe called Min. Min is out on an adventure to places where germs live. Talk to your child about germs after you finish reading the book.
The Germ Experiment
This is another fun experiment you can do to teach kids about germs. Put water in a bowl. Sprinkle some pepper into the water. Let’s call the pepper germs.
Now dab some handwash on your kid’s finger. Put the finger on the water surface. Watch now the pepper scatters where the handwash touches.
Teach Germ Rules To Kids
A few germ rules for kids:
Wash Your Hands Regularly
When you touch anything dirty, or you want to eat something, you should always wash your hands. Here’s how kids should be washing hands:
- Wet your hands under running water
- Pump some handwash in your hands.
- Rub hands together. Scrub between fingers
- Now rub soap on the back of your hands, and under nails.
- Wash and dry with a clean towel.
Build Your Immune System
Eat healthily. When you eat healthily, your body is strong enough to fight with those germs when they do enter the body. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
I hope this article will help you teach kids about germs. If you notice your child struggling and these strategies aren’t helping, I would love to help you determine your child’s individual needs. Please reach out to set up a free consultation. We are here to support you as you help your child blossom!
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