The Easiest Way to Keep Your Kids Healthy: Wash Hands!

The germs are coming! The germs are coming!

Nobody likes to get sick. And did you know? Germs are actually around all year long, but they spread more easily in the colder months because we’re in closer contact with each other, cooped up indoors.

Want to know the best way to keep from getting sick? Wash your hands!

No, really. It’s as simple as that! (A lot about being a Healthy Kid is simple, actually.) As a kid, I was taught, like you, to wash my hands before eating a meal and after a bathroom break. This is really good advice, but did you know that how you wash your hands matters, too?

Watch our latest free video to get the low down on how to lather up correctly:

3 Steps to Wash Hands & Stay Healthy!

In case you’re where you can’t watch the video right now — here’s the step-by-step on washing the right way:

1. Use warm water and soap

Warm water helps kill germs, and antibacterial soap can get rid of some of that gross bacteria your child picked up in the play place or at school.

2. Turn off the water and lather up

Wash for at least 30 seconds, making sure you clean your whole hands — the palms as well as the back of your hands, between your fingers, under your fingernails, and even your thumbs. 30 Seconds can seem like a long time. Try singing the Happy Birthday song to yourself while you’re scrubbing to make sure you wash for the right amount of time.

3. Don’t Touch Anything!

If you’re in a public restroom, turn off the faucet and open the door with a paper towel to prevent your hands from picking up any icky germs on your way out. Just because the last person forgot to wash hands before leaving doesn’t mean you are forced to take their germs with you.

And if you want to go one step further to keep your hands clean, simply think before you touch.

Need some examples to get the point across to your kids?

• Grocery store? They push the cart for mom and get a cookie at the bakery.  Do they think any germs from the cart got on their hands?  Then they touched the cookie and ate it… along with some germs. Teach them to eat the cookie the way the bakery attendant gave them the cookie, with the tissue paper around it! Keeping it wrapped while eating keeps it more clean.
• Restaurant?  They wash hands before eating — hooray! — but then pick up the ketchup bottle and get germs from the last people who touched the bottle… then they pick up their fries with germy fingers and eat!  Yuck!  Why not wrap a napkin around the bottle first — or even use a fork when eating fries in a restaurant? (PSST- for more restaurant tips, see our post on kid etiquette while eating out!)

Everyone gets sick every now and then — it’s good for building a healthy immune system — but following these small steps can keep you healthier longer!

Wanna go a step further? Share this post on your social media so your friends can teach their kids the importance of hand-washing, too. The more we do it, the less germs spread! 

(Linked up at Project Inspire{d} and Way Back Wednesday)

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About Julie Hunt
I’ve lived a full life with many unimaginable joys and heartache like you wouldn’t believe. Our blog exists to encourage folks to slow down, chill out, and love more.