When it comes to personal hygiene for kids, it pays to get an early start!
As a parent, it’s your job to ensure they know how to care for themselves (and avoid habits like picking their nose, for example).
Cultivating these skills at a young age will help instill healthy habits as they grow up.
But sometimes, teaching your kids about proper cleanliness can be hard, especially when they aren’t too keen on doing chores.
So the best way to teach them how to stay neat, clean, and tidy at all times is through some fun games!
Why is Personal Hygiene for Kids Important?
Personal hygiene is an important part of self-care. And even though your kids may have a love/hate relationship with activities like taking a bath or brushing their teeth, you’ll need to remind them that proper hygiene can help them stay healthy, avoid getting sick, and learn skills like proper self-regulation.
That’s why you’ll need to include activities like proper handwashing, regular bathtime, and brushing and flossing to their personal hygiene checklist.
Good self-grooming offers these amazing benefits:
- Prevents the spread of germs
- Builds stronger immunity
- Lower chances of getting sick
- Improves self-confidence
Personal Hygiene Interactive Games You Can Try
Below we’ve listed some personal hygiene games to make learning about good grooming and personal hygiene fun:
Diaper Dentist
Despite what the name suggests, you won’t need any diapers for this game!
This activity is all about your child playing the role of the dentist — and it doesn’t matter even if they’re still in their diapers.
As the parent, you can play the role of the patient unsure about how to brush their teeth. For example, you could pretend to use the wrong side of the toothbrush or forget to use toothpaste.
As the “diaper dentist,” it’s your child’s job to teach you how to brush your teeth like a pro! Make sure you have some props to help your little one get into character.
Germ Paint
There’s no better way to teach your kids just how quickly germs spread through a game of germ transfer! Playing this game will give them a better idea of how germs live on their hands and spread to the things they touch.
Start the game by pretending to sneeze, then covering your hands in washable paint. After that, feel free to walk around and touch random objects. Your kids will see the splashes of paint you leave behind to signify the transfer of germs.
For a fun twist, ask your little ones to find and tally the different places marked with the germ paint!
Doll Play
This game is perfect if your little girl loves to collect dolls!
Teach your child the value of self-care by telling them to treat their doll the same way they would treat themselves. And that means giving their doll some attention and TLC! For example, you could demonstrate combing the doll’s hair and dressing them up in different clothes depending on different events of weather conditions.
They won’t just learn the importance of hygiene because they’ll learn how to take care of their toys too properly!
Glitter Germs
Who would have known that glitter and germs have so much in common? They both get everywhere!
Demonstrate just how clingy germs can get with a game of Glitter Germs. Get started by asking your little ones to sprinkle glitter on both sides of their hands. After they’re done, get them to wash off the glitter with soap and water. Make it fun with a line inspection of hands — the one with the least glitter left behind wins!
This simple exercise is a visually compelling way to make your little ones realize the importance of proper handwashing.
Hygiene Matching Game
Matching games may be one of the most common activities for kids, but it’s definitely a fun way to teach why personal hygiene for kids is a must.
As the title of the game suggests, the game will involve matching different body parts to the proper grooming activity.
Prepare a set of flashcards of different body parts like hands, nails, mouth, and teeth. Then prepare the second set of cards with grooming objects like soap, fingernail clippers, mouthwash, and a toothbrush.
It may seem simple at first glance, but make sure they don’t get everything mixed up!
Hygiene Charades
Our list of personal hygiene games wouldn’t be complete without a game of charades!
Playing this game is similar to the matching game, but it adds a fun challenge: instead of giving your kids flash cards to sort, you can act out the different personal grooming activities and make them guess each one without saying anything aloud.
The quickest person to guess wins the game! If this game is too easy, you can spice things up by demonstrating the activity through toys or playing charades using only one hand.
Playdough Flossing
Teach your kids the importance of flossing with a game of Playdough Flossing.
For this game, you’ll need a plastic ice cube tray, pipe cleaners, and Play Dough. Start by turning the ice cube tray upside down and placing small chunks of Play Dough between the ice cube bumps. Then the race to the first set of clean “teeth” is on — your kids will have to “clean” the trays with the pipe cleaner!
Your kids will surely have fun flossing the ice cube tray while learning about how flossing works for their teeth.
Want to learn more exciting activities? For more preschool and kindergarten resources, check out our blog.
