Hey Hey.
So tell me if this resonates. You tell your child to go wash their hands, in their perfect little world they rub the soap in their palms for 2.5 seconds and then a quick rinse. Half the time they don't even rinse long enough to get the soap off and just want to walk away with wet soapy hands. Good luck even getting them to dry that wet soap off.
Right? Right!
How many times out of 10 does this result in some kind of struggle. I'd say about 11. We're going to change that (keep reading)
It's now more important than ever that we're teaching our kids how to effectively wash their hands. We need to know that when we send them back into the world they have this skill down pat. Germs aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
If there's one skill you're going to teach your kid while their home, the MOST important skills is how to wash their hands. This will be WAYYYYYY more valuable to them than counting to 100 or knowing the alphabet forwards and backwards. This skill will keep them healthy.
Here are 3 strategies to teach effective hand washing, without a struggle;
1. Always start off with a rinse. Once the hands are wet and the soap has been dispensed into your child's hands TURN THE WATER OFF! They can't quickly rinse if there's no water to rinse with. This has been the biggest game changer for my kids! Once the water has been turned off they need to lather for at least 20 SECONDS.
2. To help that 20 seconds pass without a fight, make it fun! Sing a song with them, put a timer on, do a hand washing dance, teach them how to count in a different language, get them to march on the spot, whatever it takes to make it fun.... MAKE IT FUN!
3. Teach them a solid hand washing routine so they are washing their hands the exact same way every time. The best way to do this is with a step by step visual so everyone in the home is following the same routine. I call this the "hand washing dance- our palm and fingers have moves". Here's the routine I use with my kids. Download and print this visual. Stick in on the wall or mirror where your kid washes their hands the most. I suggest putting one at every sink in your home. Feel free to forward this on to other parents.
Let me know if you have any questions about this. Once you print this and put it up in the home take a pic and tag me on Instagram @cori_stern so I can see you've done your homework!
I really value your feedback. Communication is really important to me- I'd love to hear from you. Reply to this email and let me know what kind of strategies you want to receive more of.
If you are struggling at home with your kid's behaviour then I want you to book in a FREE 30 minute call so we can talk about getting some support in place for you.
Happy Hand Washing! You've got this!
Cori
p.s. If you are a 2016 parent then make sure to grab your ticket to Transitioning Into Kindergarten event. It's taking place May 3-6, ONLINE. Limited spots available!!!
