Two seconds under the tap, a quick shake, and your child announces their hands are clean. Sound familiar? Here’s how to teach kids to wash their hands properly: the steps in words a young child understands, how long to scrub, when to wash, whether soap or hand sanitiser is better, and what children learn about it at school.
Why hand washing matters for children
Germs are too small to see, which is exactly why children need to be taught to wash at set times rather than when their hands look grubby. As healthdirect puts it, “Germs collect on your hands as you go about everyday life. When you touch your eyes, nose or mouth, the germs can spread to these vulnerable areas.”
Washing helps stop the spread of “infections such as common colds, flu, COVID-19 and gastroenteritis”, and children need it more than most: “They’re more vulnerable to getting infections because their immune systems aren’t yet mature.” Victoria’s Better Health Channel adds that some of these infections “can cause serious complications, especially for young children”.
The good news is that habits learnt early tend to last. healthdirect notes that “Teaching children good hand hygiene sets up lifelong habits to stop the spread of infection.”
How do you teach a child to wash their hands?
Keep it to four steps your child can remember. These come from the Better Health Channel’s “Soapy Hero” program for Victorian primary schools:
- Wet. Wet your hands with running water.
- Rub. Rub soap all over your hands “for as long as it takes to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice”.
- Rinse. Rinse the soap off your hands under running water.
- Dry. Dry your hands with a clean towel, paper towel or hand dryer.
The rubbing step is where young children cut corners. Show them the spots that get missed. The Better Health Channel says: “Don’t forget the backs of your hands, your wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails.” The Raising Children Network’s picture guide breaks it down the same way: palms, backs of hands, down to the wrists, between the fingers and around the fingernails.
Drying matters too. Both healthdirect and the Better Health Channel say to dry hands thoroughly, and at home the Better Health Channel suggests you “give each family member their own towel and wash the towels often.”
How long should kids wash their hands?
At least 20 seconds of rubbing with soap. healthdirect says to “Rub your hands together for at least 20 seconds”, and the Raising Children Network says the same.
Twenty seconds feels like forever to a five-year-old, so give them a way to count it. The Better Health Channel’s school program uses two rounds of “Happy Birthday”, and the Raising Children Network notes that “Singing a song can help them wash for 20 seconds. It also makes hand-washing fun!”
When should children wash their hands?
The Better Health Channel’s list for school children is short and easy to learn. Always wash with soap and running water:
- after going to the toilet
- before and after eating
- after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose
- after touching pets and other animals
- whenever your hands look dirty.
The Raising Children Network adds two more that matter for children: “after being in public places, and after being around sick people.” The Better Health Channel also suggests washing when you get home.
Teach the cough and sneeze habit at the same time. “If you do not have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow,” says the Better Health Channel, and then wash after using a tissue.
Warm or cold water? Does soap need to be antibacterial?
Warm water is nice but not essential. The Better Health Channel explains that “Warm water may be better than cold for handwashing as soap lathers (soaps up) better with warm water. However, cold water and soap are still suitable.” Avoid very hot water: it “can damage the skin’s natural oils”. If your child’s hands get irritated, the Better Health Channel says to see a doctor if it continues.
Plain soap is fine. healthdirect says “Normal soap is just as good as antibacterial soap,” and the Better Health Channel agrees that antibacterial soap “is unnecessary”. What really matters is using soap at all: soap and water “will remove substantially more disease-causing organisms than washing hands with water alone.” Liquid soap is generally better than bar soap, “However, bar soap is better than no soap.”
Soap or hand sanitiser: which is better for kids?
Soap and water, whenever you can. The Better Health Channel explains that alcohol-based hand sanitisers “are effective against some viruses (such as coronavirus), however they are not effective against gastroenteritis.” If there’s no soap and water, it suggests a sanitiser “containing at least 60% alcohol”.
Sanitiser also doesn’t work on grubby hands. healthdirect says it “is only effective if your hands have no visible dirt on them.” When you do use it, healthdirect suggests about half a teaspoon, rubbed over all surfaces of the hands and between the fingers until dry, which takes “about 20 to 30 seconds”.
Keep sanitiser safe around children. healthdirect warns that “Alcohol-based hand sanitiser can be poisonous if swallowed”, and advises storing it out of reach and supervising children when they use it. For poisoning advice, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26, any time of day.
Tips that make hand washing stick
- Make it part of the day. Before every meal and after every toilet trip, with no debate.
- Practise the school version. Washing after the toilet on their own is one of the self-care skills in our Prep readiness checklist.
- Check the school toilets. The Better Health Channel suggests parents “check if your school provides soap in the student toilets.”
- Use pictures. The Raising Children Network’s hand-washing guide comes as a printable sheet in several languages, including Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Tamil and Vietnamese, which is handy to stick above the bathroom sink.
- Link it to other routines. Hand washing sits nicely with the other health habits children are learning, like brushing their teeth morning and night.
What children learn about hand washing at school
Health habits like this are part of Health and Physical Education from the first year of school, which has a different name in each state and territory (Victoria calls it Foundation or Prep).
- In Victoria, Foundation children learn to “identify health symbols, messages and strategies in their community that support their health and safety” (VC2HPFP07).
- In the Australian Curriculum, the matching Foundation content description has the same wording (AC9HPFP06).
In Victoria, the Better Health Channel says the state’s education and health departments are working with schools on the Soapy Hero program “to help improve hand hygiene and reduce the spread of infectious diseases among primary school children.”
KidStudy’s Prep Health lesson Clean Hands covers germs being too small to see, how germs travel from our hands to our eyes, nose and mouth, the steps of washing with soap, and when to wash. Its home activity, Glitter germs, uses a little hand cream and a pinch of glitter as pretend germs: children compare a tissue wipe, a rinse with water only, and a proper wash with soap and water, and see which one takes the glitter away. Keep glitter away from eyes and mouth, and use warm, not hot, water. For more simple experiments, try our kitchen science experiments.
Questions parents ask
How long should a child wash their hands?
At least 20 seconds of rubbing with soap, then rinsing and drying well. Singing “Happy Birthday” twice is an easy way for children to time it.
What are the steps of hand washing for kids?
Wet, rub, rinse and dry. Wet hands with running water, rub soap all over (backs, wrists, between the fingers and under the nails), rinse the soap off, then dry with a clean towel, paper towel or hand dryer.
Is hand sanitiser OK for kids?
It’s a back-up for when there’s no soap and water. Soap and water work better, and sanitiser isn’t effective against gastro or on visibly dirty hands. Use one with at least 60% alcohol, supervise children, and store it out of reach because it can be poisonous if swallowed.
Do kids need antibacterial soap?
No. healthdirect says normal soap is just as good as antibacterial soap. Any soap is far better than water alone.
Should kids wash their hands in warm or cold water?
Either is fine. Warm water helps soap lather, but cold water and soap still work. Avoid hot water, which can damage the skin’s natural oils.
When should children wash their hands?
After the toilet, before and after eating, after coughing, sneezing or blowing their nose, after touching animals, after being in public places or around sick people, and whenever their hands look dirty.
Sources
- Handwashing: why it’s important, Better Health Channel, Victorian Department of Health
- Be a Soapy Hero!, Better Health Channel, Victorian Department of Health
- Hand washing, healthdirect
- Hand-washing for kids and teens: in pictures, Raising Children Network
- Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0: Health and Physical Education, VCAA
- Australian Curriculum v9.0 Health and Physical Education, Prep: content descriptions, Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority
