Tips for encouraging good hygiene at school with your kids

5 tips for encouraging good hygiene for school children

Our schools and education system in many cases does a great job of creating distance between kids and educating them on how to keep good hygiene. Gym classes can be done outdoors and activities that require getting changed in changing rooms should be avoided. Schedules for lunchtime should also be staggered to avoid congestion with the kids. Activities that usually involve many visitors such as parent-teacher meetings for example, should so be cancelled or at least postponed to a later date.

But what can you, yourself, as a parent do to reduce the likelihood of spreading infections both at home and school? Here are 5 tips to help you child's hygiene at school, along with helping them find new ways being with friends and getting to and from school when the school day is over.

1 - Change clothes!

Make a clear distinction between home and school by making sure your kids change their clothes the moment they come through the door. The used clothes from the day before can be hung up or thrown straight into the hamper. Being able to come home and put on comfy, everyday clothes at home is hardly something the kids will protest against.

2 - Wash the hands!

It's without a doubt been said many times, but it doesn't hurt to repeat it. Make sure your kids wash their hands regularly when at school. However, you should also ensure that at a thorough hand-washing (and why not a face-washing whilst their at it) should be among one of the first things they do when they come home. Choose an un-scented hand soap, as these don't dry the skin on their hands as much.

3 -Use your own hand towels!

Washing hands is the most important part but drying them with a clean and fresh hand towel is also an important part of the process. Make sure that each member of the family has their very own hand towel to dry off their hands with. If you have a larger family or several kids all sharing the same bathroom, it may be wise to let each family member to choose the colour of their own towel.

4 - Tie their hair back!

If you have kids with long hair, you know how much work it can be washing and brushing on a frequent basis. With that said, you also likely know how prone food, dirt and other small things can end up getting caught in your child's hair. By tying their hair back properly with a hair elastic or scrunchie, you'll make life a bit easier and keep their hair clean and looking fresh.

5 - Encourage outdoor activities!

When it starts to get very warm and sunny out, there's no reason to not let the kids enjoy a bit of time in fresh air during school breaks. Encourage them to get outside if possible. And of course the only only pre-requisite for having fun outside is making sure that you have good clothes and shoes (regardless of how the weather may be).