Teaching Handwashing to Pre-Schoolers: A Practical Experience Report

This assignment describes a teaching experience focused on educating pre-school children about the importance of handwashing for preventing the spread of germs and diseases. The teaching plan involved a PowerPoint presentation to visually demonstrate how germs spread and the proper handwashing techniques. The pre-school kids responded positively, showing interest in learning and demonstrating the techniques. The epidemiological rationale for handwashing emphasizes its role in reducing hygiene-related diseases among children. The teaching experience was evaluated positively, with kids learning about warm water, soap usage, and proper drying methods. The community, including parents, showed a strong positive response, reinforcing handwashing routines at home and school. Strengths included the use of warm water and soap, while areas for improvement involve ensuring the availability of necessary materials and continuous encouragement from healthcare workers, teachers, and parents. The activity ultimately aims to instill good hygiene habits in children from an early age.

Running Head: TEACHING EXPERIENCE 1
Handwashing Teaching Experience
Name
Affiliation
Date

TEACHING EXPERIENCE 2
Handwashing Teaching Experience
Introduction
This paper describes the teaching experience which was obtained when teaching hand
washing to the pre-school kids. The activity involved teaching preschool kids on the ways they
can thoroughly wash their hands in order to avoid the spread of germs and bacteria which cause
diseases. This write-up also provides the strengths and weaknesses that were associated with the
activity, the response of the community to the teaching. Hand washing is essential among the
pre-school kids since it helps them in keeping proper hygiene and thus preventing the spread of
diseases that result from poor hygiene (Chitwood 2015; Chittleborough et.al, 2013). It is
therefore vital to teach the preschool kids how to wash their hands and maintain proper hygiene
right from their early stages of life.
Teaching kids on various ways of keeping their hands clean are essential in preventing
the breakout of diseases that are related to poor hygiene and makes responsible people even
when they grow up. However, for the pre-school kids learning how to wash their hands does not
imply that they will always do it. They need regular emphasis and being reminded every time by
their caretakers to wash their hands and its importance. Therefore, it is necessary for the teachers
to always organize lessons to teach the pre-school kids on handwashing. These lessons must be
practical since they are essential in improving on the hygiene and entire health of the pre-school
kids. Teachers of these kids should involve various steps in their lessons that can help the kids’
concentration, coordination, independence band order.
Thesis: Teaching handwashing to pre-school kids is essential in improving on their
hygiene and overall health.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE 3
Summary of a teaching plan
Teaching a community more especially the pre-school kids about handwashing was quite
interesting. It involved giving knowledge to the pre-school kids regarding the prevention and
spread of germs and diseases and different effective techniques of hand washing. Many people
more especially kids do not realize the speed at which germs spread as a result of failure to wash
their hands or doing it in an improper way. Before the teaching activity, there was no certainty
about the reaction of the people (pre-school kids) after showing them how they can wash their
hands especially when they have never done it in their life. Most surprising, majority or all the
kids responded positively and were much interested in hearing and learning whatever I said and
showed to them. The power point presentation organized was quite useful in teaching by giving
the visual aspects on the ways how germs spread and their related causes. However, the doing
this presentation to the pre-school kids it was a difficult task for me as a single teacher to execute
effectively.
The teaching implementation involved active listening and identification of the clients’
(pre-school kids) view on hygiene-related concerns. Additionally, pre-school kids were
encouraged to ensure regular handwashing to prevent the spread of germs and diseases. The total
presentations organized for teaching these kids about handwashing took around 30 minutes
which I felt that provided effective learning for the kids. Every kid who participated in the
learning activity was more interested in my topic and all of them were more than willing to
demonstrate in the similar way that was taught to them. This made me feel more confident to
give this useful information and teach the pre-school kids about the importance of washing their
hands before and after doing everything. The PowerPoint presentations involving slides with
pictures relating to handwashing were predominantly used during the teaching exercise.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE 4
The epidemiological rationale for Handwashing
The epidemiological rationale for handwashing among the pre-school kids majorly looks
at how the activity helped in the reduction of the spread of hygiene-related diseases among kids.
Handwashing is essential to people more especially to the pre-school kids who are yet to
understand its full importance and how to do it more effectively. Kids adopting handwashing
activities has brought about significant improvement in their hygiene and overall health.
According to Ellingson et.al, (2014), improvements in hand hygiene more especially through
teaching handwashing activities to pre-school kids preventing the infections and spread of germs
among them. The widespread and proliferation use of hand sanitizers that are alcohol based has
improved on the ability to comfortably and conveniently sanitize hands frequently. This helps to
kill germs and prevent the spread of diseases. Though the adherence of the children to the
recommended hand hygiene activities is still low, there are various reasons leading to it
(Ellingson et.al, 2014; Chittleborough et.al, 2013). The reasons to the low adherence to hand
hygiene include; cultural issues, inconvenient placement, and location of sinks, skin irritation
and lack of encouragement from the parents and teachers of the pre-school kids (Ellingson et.al,
2014).
More so, there is a vital epidemiological rationale if kids fully follow the stipulated
handwashing guide in developed in form of power point presentation. Hand washing acts serve
several importance regarding the reduction of a number of hygienic related diseases globally.
When kids properly wash their hands, the risks of spreading germs and getting sick are
minimized. Hand washing should regularly be done by not only by the kids, but by all people
since general hygiene is essential for the entire society. It is an activity necessary for improving
on everyone’s hygiene. Kids always engage themselves in dirty activities when playing with

TEACHING EXPERIENCE 5
their fellows and most times they contract germs from those places or activities. Proper
handwashing among preschoolers’ act as the easiest and the best ways preventing the occurrence
and spread of germs and diseases to others. It helps in teaching the kids the importance of proper
hygiene by explaining to them how important it is to wash their hands. So, falling sick due to
poor hygiene resulting from failure to wash the hands among preschoolers can be avoided.
Bacteria and germs enter the body through eating dirty/bad items or using dirty hands to eat.
(Ellingson et.al, 2014).
Evaluation of teaching experience
Handwashing is a simple activity that every kid and adults are required to understand
very well. At the beginning of the handwashing teaching session, soap and clean water were
provided to the pre-school kids. This purposely aimed at showing the audience (pre-school kids)
that whatever it requires to deliver high-quality information and training was available. During
the session of handwashing, kids were allowed to ask for the proper steps to follow when
removing all the germs and dirt from their hands. The exercise was executed very well and it was
quite fascinating to both the kids and their facilitator. Kids learned various ways on how they can
wash their hands thoroughly and kill all germs which cause diseases. Various interactive
discussions were conducted between the facilitator and the kids where various questions and
answers on proper maintenance of personal hygiene were raised.
The handwashing sessions with the pre-school kids were very interesting as the kids
showed their high interests in learning how to improve on their personal hygiene through
handwashing. For instance, kids learned about how warm water helps to kill germs faster and
even encourages kids to wash their hands. Use soap while washing the hands and lather up for

TEACHING EXPERIENCE 6
around 20.0 seconds. In this case, any soap works better other than only antibacterial soap.
Ensure that water and soap get under that nails and between the fingers where germs prefer
hiding. Dry and rinse very well the hands of the kids with a clean towel. All these were
interesting lessons learned by the pre-school kids during the handwashing sessions.
Community response to teaching
There is a strong positive response to handwashing activities in the community,
particularly among the pre-school kids. Both parents and their kids have doubled their efforts
towards the improvement of their personal and family hygiene. The teaching of handwashing
helped the community more especially the pre-school kids to fully understand the value of
cleaning their hands and how to do it best. The similar gospel was also emphasized by the
parents of the kids in order to help in preventing the spread of hygiene-related infections or
diseases (Chittleborough et.al, 2012). Handwashing has been made a routine activity both at
school and at home among the pre-school kids. This has been much enforced before the
mealtimes, where kids are always required to wash their hands before joining the dining table to
have meals. All caretakers of the pre-school kids have continuously emphasized and ensured that
this occurs in their presence. Thus, this has helped the kids in making handwashing part of their
life activities right from their early ages.
Areas of strengths and areas of improvement
Handwashing among the pre-school kids and the adults has various strengths towards the
improvement of their personal hygiene. For instance, washing the hands of the kids with warm
water significantly help in the killing of germs and the reduction of the spread of diseases (Weel,
2015). All the caretakers of these kids have ensured that the kids thoroughly wash their hands

TEACHING EXPERIENCE 7
with warm water and soap before and after every task. However, much has to be done by health
care workers, teachers and parents of the pre-school kids to improve on their handwashing
habits. For instance, all required materials to be used in effective hand washing such as warm
water, soap, water sinks and clean towels should be made available and convenient for all pre-
school kids.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE 8
References
Chittleborough, C., R., Nicholson, A. L., Basker, E., Bell, S., & Campbell, R. (2012). Factors
influencing handwashing behavior in primary schools: process evaluation within a
randomized controlled trial. Health Education Research, Volume 27, Issue 6, 1
December 2012, Pages 1055–1068. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cys061
Chittleborough, C., R., Nicholson, A. L., Basker, E., Bell, S., & Campbell, R. (2013).
Implementation of an educational intervention to improve hand washing in primary
schools: process evaluation within a randomized controlled trial. Research article-BMC
Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-757
Chitwood, D. (2015). Handwashing Activities for Kids – Free Songs and Lessons. Retrieved
from: https://livingmontessorinow.com/handwashing-activities-for-kids-free-songs-and-
lessons/
Ellingson, K., Haas, J., Aiello, A., Kusek, L., Maragakis, L., Olmsted, R., & Yokoe, D. (2014).
Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections through Hand Hygiene. Infection
Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 35(8), 937-960. doi:10.1086/677145
Weel, C.V. (2015). Handwashing and community management of infections. Volume 386,
ISSUE 10004, P1603-1604, October 24, 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-
6736(15)60460-3