1. Joining Hands for Healthier Children 1
By: Thao Dam
University of Missouri - Columbia, Fall 2013
thaodam@mail.missouri.edu

2. Joining Hands for Healthier Children 2
“You are your child’s guide and teacher – the best person to help her learn
how to live a healthy life! Instead of screen time, focus on positive activities
like physical activity to help your child grow up healthy.”
When the children who attend a child care program arrive for the day clean, it helps keep
everyone healthier. Young children may ignore or tease children who smell bad or look dirty,
which can affect their self-esteem. When children start the day with clean hair, body and clothes,
playmates and caregivers respond more positively.
It’s important to spend time with young children practicing and teaching good hygiene both in
child care and at home. The best way children learn to assume positive health habits is by
including them in their daily routine. Until children can do this, adults who care for them must
take on this task. Here are some things to do for children to help them develop good personal
hygiene habits and feel good about themselves.
 Handwashing: Good handwashing, practiced frequently, can reduce illness and remove
dirt which may contain toxins such as lead. Unwashed or improperly washed hands are
the primary carriers of infections. Young children need your guidance and reminders to
wash their hands before they eat and after they toilet, play outdoors or handle animals.
Set up your handwashing sink with a step stool so children can start washing their hands
themselves.
 Nose blowing, coughing and sneezing: Nose blowing, cough and sneezing spread
germs. Children can be taught to blow their noses (always with their mouth open),
dispose of the tissue and then wash their hands. They can also be taught to sneeze or
cough into tissue or into their elbow. Keep plenty of tissues on hand, and discourage nose
picking.
 Hair: Hair which is clean (washed at least once or twice a week) and brushed makes it
easier to detect head lice and scalp rashes. Early detection allows for early treatment and
reduces the chance of disease or parasites spreading to other children.
 Nails: Dirt and germs often hide under fingernails. Children scratch their genitals, put
their hands in their diapers, pick their noses, scratch rashes, and put their hands in their
mouths. Keeping children’s nails clipped and clean reduces the spread of germs to others.
 Toys: If a child has a favorite toy or blanket that gets carried around constantly, it may be
full of germs from many sources. Cloth toys and blankets should be laundered regularly;
plastic toys should be run through the dishwasher or dipped in a bleach solution (one
tbsp. of bleach in one quart of water) daily, then allowed to air dry.
 Clothes: Clothes should be clean, comfortable and appropriate for the weather.
 Oral Hygiene: Tooth brushing at least once per day with fluoride toothpaste and flossing
prevent gum diseases and tooth decay by reducing the build-up of decay-causing plaque.
Proper tooth brushing and flossing is a learned skill, improved by practice, and in the
meantime children need help from their parents and child care providers. Regular tooth
brushing times during child care will help not only help protect children’s teeth but help
them learn to brush and floss.
 Bathing: Although it does not usually take place at child care, regular bathing is
important and allows a child’s entire body to be examined for signs of injury, rash or
sores. Taken from Calder & Dailey, 2010

3. Joining Hands for Healthier Children 3
Physical activity and your family
Most of us don’t get enough activity daily, but physical activity is fun and something you
can enjoy together as a family. Physical activity is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for
people of all ages. You can help your preschooler develop healthy habits by including physical
activity in your daily routine. Your whole family will be healthier and you will be supporting
learning at the same time. Preschoolers should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily.
Tips for being active with your preschoolers
 Make it fun! When physical activity is enjoyable, both you and your children will WANT
to play!
 Be active together! Use physical activity as family bonding time. When you play
together, she has the opportunity and support to try and master new skills such as:
running, jumping, hopping, galloping, pedaling, climbing, catching and throwing.
 Be a great role model for healthy habits. Add physical activity to the things you do
already. Park farther away from the door when you go shopping. Walk to get your mail
instead of driving up to the mailbox. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
 You don’t have to do the same physical activity for a whole hour or even do it all at one
time. You and your family can do as many different activities as you want throughout the
day in blocks of at least ten minutes. Then, add up the minutes to meet your goal of at
least one hour of physical activity per day.
 Offer a wide range of opportunities for physical activity as well as some basic equipment:
o Different kinds of balls and bean bags
o Old boxes or tunnels to crawl through
o Tricycle or other riding toy
o Push-pull toys like wagons, doll buggies or lawn mowers
o Access to climbing equipment at a playground
 Have a “Movement Parade”. March around the room or outside and call out different
things that you and she can do like twirl, leap, hop, jump, etc.
 Go on a nature hunt. Find acorns, pine cones, bird feathers, shiny rocks, etc.
Please consult Nemours Health & Prevention Services, 2009 for more ideas
Taken from Nemours Health & Prevention Services, 2009

4. Joining Hands for Healthier Children 4
Top 10 Tips to Help Children Develop Healthy Habits
You can help your child develop healthy habits early in life that will bring lifelong
benefits. As a parent, you can encourage your kids to evaluate their food choice and physical
activity habits. Here are some tips and guidelines to get you started.
 Be a good role model - You don’t have to be perfect all the time, but if kids see you
trying to eat right and getting physically active, they’ll take notice of your efforts. You’ll
send a message that good health is important to your family.
 Keep things positive - Kids don’t like to hear what they can’t do, tell them what they can
do instead. Keep it fun and positive. Everyone likes to be praised for a job well done.
Celebrate successes and help children and teens develop a good self-image.
 Get the whole family moving - Plan times for everyone to get moving together. Take
walks, ride bikes, go swimming, garden or just play hide-and-seek outside. Everyone will
benefit from the exercise and the time together.
 Be realistic - Setting realistic goals and limits are key to adopting any new behavior.
Small steps and gradual changes can make a big difference in your health over time, so
start small and build up.
 Limit TV, video game and computer time - These habits lead to a sedentary lifestyle
and excessive snacking, which increase risks for obesity and cardiovascular disease.
Limit screen time to 2 hours per day.
 Encourage physical activities that they’ll really enjoy - Every child is unique. Let your
child experiment with different activities until they find something that they really love
doing. They’ll stick with it longer if they love it.
 Pick truly rewarding rewards - Don’t reward children with TV, video games, candy or
snacks for a job well done. Find other ways to celebrate good behavior.
 Make dinnertime a family time - When everyone sits down together to eat, there’s less
chance of children eating the wrong foods or snacking too much. Get your kids involved
in cooking and planning meals. Everyone develops good eating habits together and the
quality time with the family will be an added bonus.
 Make a game of reading food labels - The whole family will learn what’s good for their
health and be more conscious of what they eat. It’s a habit that helps change behavior for
a lifetime. Learn more about reading nutrition labels.
 Stay involved - Be an advocate for healthier children. Insist on good food choices at
school. Make sure your children’s healthcare providers are monitoring cardiovascular
indicators like BMI, blood pressure and cholesterol. Contact public officials on matters of
the heart. Make your voice heard.
Taken from American Heart Association, 2013

5. Joining Hands for Healthier Children 5
Teach Personal Hygiene in a Fun Way!
Helping your child learn how to keep his/her body clean is an important part of ensuring
that he/she remains happy and healthy. If your child is resisting bath time or brushing her teeth,
you can teach personal hygiene in a fun way.
 Step 1
Make up songs for personal hygiene activities. Your child may respond to little songs and
phrases to sing as he completes different personal hygiene tasks. For instance, while washing his
hands, he can say, “Don’t get sick, clean up quick.”
 Step 2
Teach the child to shower. If bath times are a battle, you can try installing an adjustable
showerhead that is child-safe. These showerheads often come in the shape of animals to appeal
to children. This gives the child a feeling of independence and encourages regular showering.
 Step 3
Use props. Personal hygiene tasks may be difficult to teach since the child may not find the
routines fun. Toys and kid-geared personal hygiene products may spark the child’s interest.
Some examples include musical toothbrushes, bath toys and foaming soap.
 Step 4
Demonstrate for the child. Ask the child to imitate you when you brush your teeth, floss or brush
your hair. For more personal tasks, such as using the bathroom and bathing, the correct way
should be demonstrated ideally by a parent or adult of the same sex.
 Step 5
Allow the child to choose her own personal hygiene products. If the child has a more active
involvement with the selection process, she may feel more inspired to use them. After choosing
the products, talk about each one and explain how to use it.
Taken from Wood, 2010

6. Joining Hands for Healthier Children 6
References
American Heart Association. (2013). Top 10 tips to help children develop healthy habits.
Retrieved from
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/HealthierKids/HowtoMakeaHealth
Home/Help-Children-Develop-Healthy-Habits_UCM_303805_Article.jsp#
Calder, J., & Dailey, L. (2010, December 8). Good hygiene for children. Retrieved from
help children grow up healthy. Retrieved from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Good_Hygiene_Your/
Nemours Health & Prevention Services. (2009). Best practices for physical activity: A guide to
help children grow up healthy. Retrieved from
http://www.nemours.org/content/dam/nemours/www/filebox/service/preventive/nhps/pa
uidelines.pdf
Wood, H. T. (2010). How to teach personal hygiene to youth. Retrieved from
http://www.livestrong.com/article/177339-how-to-teach-personal-hygiene-to-youth/

7. Joining Hands for Healthier Children 7
Description of Project
This educational booklet is for the families of children at the University of Missouri Student
Parent Center. It is designed to educate parents/legal guardians to show them the specific steps
and/or information towards helping their child achieve optimum health when at home and also
foster healthy behaviors when at school. The PowerPoint presentation should first be shown to
parents/legal guardians of the children in order to introduce them to the concepts of keeping their
small ones healthy. The educational booklet is an additional supplement for parents to take home
so that they can refer to it when necessary. The main take-away point is to foster awareness in
parents to be a part of the healthy movement and join hands with school officials in order to
achieve successful outcomes. The material will help both the day care facility and parents
maintain a healthy lifestyle for children now and in the future.