We have been very busy preparing Ethan to start school in September. One very important aspect of starting school is self care. It's so important that children feel confident that they can get themselves dressed for PE, that they can feed themselves at lunchtime and that they can go to the bathroom by themselves. This includes washing their hands, which is especially important because it will also be the time when they are suddenly exposed to a lot of germs and we want to keep them as healthy as possible.
So as it is summer we thought that the most fun way to learn about washing our hands would be to do it outside in the backyard with a bit of water play! I filled up a large shallow bucket with water and brought some hand soap and a towel outside with me.
We started by getting our hands wet and putting on a bit of hand soap.
Then I taught them the seven steps of hand washing:
palm to palm
between fingers
backs of hands
backs of fingers
base of thumbs
finger nails
wrists
Then they rinsed (splashed around a bit) and dried their hands.
I was so impressed at how much they could remember and how much they enjoyed the activity. In the days since then Ethan has been making a real effort to wash his hands properly and often calls out to me to remind him what the next step is, it's fantastic!
Pin this for later:
This post is part of a Unit Study round up all about going back to school. Check out these other fantastic activities:
Back to School Teacher Gift {Free Printable Bag Topper} from Crafty Mama in ME
Back to School Interview for Kids from CraftCreateCalm
Free Kissing Hand Songs, Poems, & Videos to Ease Separation Anxiety from Living Montessori Now
How to Help Kids Back to School from iGameMom
Middle School Student Organizers for Tweens from Look! We're Learning!
Back to School Party Ideas from Schooling a Monkey
Not Back to School Picnic from Tales of Education at Home
Back to School Hand Washing Water Play from Play & Learn Every Day
52 Preschool Themes (& FREE 2016-2017 Preschool Theme Calendar!) from Preschool Powol Packets
Homeschooling? Have a Not Back to School Day from Adventures in Mommydom
Books for Kids About Starting Middle School from Planet Smarty Pants
For more fun, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest and sign up to receive our newsletter for regular updates!
Follow Play & Learn Everyday's board Play & Learn Everyday - Crafts and Activities from the Blog on Pinterest.
0 comments