How to Teach your Kids to Practice Good Hygiene

Having good hygiene can promote a child’s self-esteem, sense of responsibility and good appearance. Of course, it also plays an important role in staying healthy. Teaching your child to practice good hygiene at a young age will help them maintain the habit throughout their adolescence and adulthood.

Here are some tips to help you make good hygiene a lasting part of your child’s life:

Be a role model. Children will naturally imitate your own positive behaviors. So if you practice good hygiene habits, they will make these their own, too. If you bath regularly, wash your hands before and after eating and whenever appropriate, brush your teeth after meals, and generally take pride in cleanliness and neatness, then you are teaching your child in the best way you can-by example.

Help your child make hygiene a habit. Make sure they do their hygiene practices regularly to the point of making them a routine. Routines are the cornerstones of a child’s behavior. For example, at bedtime encourage your child to use the toilet, wash up, brush teeth, then have a special story time. With your supervision, this simple ritual will likely develop into habits for life.

Make it fun. Liven up bath time with tub toys, puppet washcloths or crayon soaps. You may also use washable dolls to help toddlers practice bathing, combing hair and dressing. If you have problems getting the kids to the bathroom for a shower, try drawing straws to see “who goes in first”; the idea of beating other kids will push them to draw the straw.

Allow them to make choices. When shopping for toiletries, encourage your child to select their own shampoo, toothpaste, or toothbrush. This is fun. More importantly, this will help develop their sense of responsibility for and interest in personal hygiene.

Reward with words. Always compliment your child’s efforts at good hygiene, even if the results are not perfect. Praise the child if he brushed his teeth after breakfast without having to be told to. Positive comments lie “You combed your hair wonderfully” will reinforce the behavior.

Source: Nestle Club website