As students begin to settle into the new school year and begin to make friends, so comes the sharing of germs. Children are endlessly holding hands, touching the same objects, and, in many cases, sharing food. Although these are instinctively normal behaviors for a child, washing their hands may not be. Many illnesses incurred in school come from the direct result of children not washing their hands. Students who fail to wash their hands after using the bathroom, in addition to those not covering their mouths when they sneeze or cough, result in the spread of germs and infection. When schools are plagued by illness, students and staff suffer. Students miss out on learning, while remaining students miss out on instruction by their primary teacher, as both teacher and students take turns recovering. This can be an endless cycle. So how do you practice and promote effective hygiene in schools to keep kids healthy? The Mayo Clinic on Children’s Health has these tips:
1. Use hand sanitizer. Give your child alcohol-based hand sanitizer to keep in his or her desk. Remind your child to use the sanitizer before eating snacks or lunch and after using a shared computer mouse, pencil sharpener, water fountain or other community objects. You might also donate disinfecting wipes to the classroom for general use.
2. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Give your child a package of tissues to keep in his or her desk. Encourage your child to cough or sneeze into a tissue, then put the tissue in the trash, and wash his or her hands or use hand sanitizer. If it isn't possible to reach a tissue in time, remind your child to cough or sneeze into the crook of his or her elbow.
3. Keep your hands away from your eyes and out of your mouth. Remind your child that hands are often covered in germs.
4. Don't share water bottles, food, or other personal items. Offer your child this simple rule: if you put the item in your mouth, keep it to yourself.
5. Offer hygiene instruction to every student and staff member. If students are taught proper hygiene techniques that are encouraged by all staff, it can help minimize the spread of germs and infection.
These tips are sure to have students, parents and staff well on their way to a germ-free school year.
