Some fun ways to talk about and explain germs to the little ones\
“Germ-Busting” is a fun term to use while discussing the importance of hand washing and practicing healthy habits. If you’re wondering how to talk to your children about germs and how to “bust” them here are some ideas:
The Pepper Experiment
This is an easy experiment to provide a visual of the importance of soap and how rinsing with water is not enough. All you need is:
- A dish with raised edges
- Water
- Pepper
- Dish soap
- First fill the dish with water
- Sprinkle the pepper so it sits on the water’s surface (explain that the pepper are germs)
- Squirt a dot of dish soap onto index finger and make sure it covers the whole tip of the finger
- Put your finger in the water
- Watch as the pepper scatters to the sides of the plate (make sure everyone is watching- it happens quick!)
And that is why we use soap!
The Glitter Experiment
To start put a teeny tiny amount of glitter (the germs) on your hand
- Pretend to cough or sneeze into your hands
- Show your glitter covered hand
- Touch anything with that hand! I have shaken a kid’s hand, gave a high-five, touched toys, etc.
- Watch as the glitter spreads to everything you touch
- Explain that this is how germs spread when we cough/sneeze into our hands. The only way to prevent this is by catching our coughs and sneezes!
This experiment is also a great way of showing how germs can linger anywhere!
Resources
In this video The Man with the Yellow Hat teaches George how germs can spread from person to person.
In this video Daniel Tiger teaches a song about getting rid of germs and how to not spread them.
