As we enter the back half of summer break, many families and teachers are looking ahead to the fall and the approach of another school year. Planning often begins with back-to-school shopping to stock up on items they’ll need to complete the school year successfully. This year, many shopping lists will include items to help prioritize healthy habits in the classroom – particularly since public health experts are concerned there may be an increased number of germs circulating this winter. With many children returning to in-person learning for the first time in a long time, help ease their adjustment and set them up for successful school year by reinforcing healthy habits, like hand hygiene.
Prioritizing and reinforcing healthy habits
Start the school year off by teaching younger children the importance of practicing hand hygiene – and make sure this vital practice hasn’t slipped in your older children. Practicing good hand hygiene is a lesson they’re never too young to start learning. Here are some easy lessons to teach your children before they head back to school:
- When to clean their hands. Remind kids they need to wash or sanitize their hands throughout the day, especially before eating, after using the restroom, and after blowing their nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- When to use hand sanitizer and when to wash their hands. Children should always wash their hands if they are visibly dirty and after using the restroom. Hand sanitizer is great when they don’t have access to a sink, such as before eating in the cafeteria or after sneezing or blowing their nose. (More on this topic in our blog post, When to Use Soap vs. Hand Sanitizer.)
- Don’t splash and dash. Kids are in a hurry to get back to fun things, so they are liable to rush through cleaning their hands. Remind them they need to spend at least 20 seconds scrubbing with soap and water at the sink, or around 15-20 seconds rubbing briskly with a well-formulated hand sanitizer like PURELL® Hand Sanitizer. For both handwashing and sanitizing, scrub the entire hand – including between the fingers, under nails, and the backs of hands. Consider using a timer at home or teaching them to sing the “Happy Birthday” song in their heads twice, while cleaning their hands. Posters and other signs also work well to reinforce good hygiene habits early.
- Don’t touch your face. Germs can get in when dirty fingers touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.
If established early and followed up with regular encouragement, children can maintain these healthy lifestyle habits throughout their lives. Interested in learning more about how to teach young children to wash their hands? Check out our blog on 5 Tips to Encourage Children to Wash Their Hands. (Remember that children under six years of age should be supervised when using hand sanitizer.)
Setting them up with the right tools
Now that your children are familiar with hand hygiene best practices, set them up with the right tools to have a healthy and successful school year. Although many schools provide hand sanitizer in common places, it’s important to recognize that all hand sanitizers aren’t the same. Formulation impacts both performance and user experience, two things that are vital for a trusted, quality hand sanitizer. Interested to learn more about what makes a safe and effective hand sanitizer? Check out our blog, Is Your School’s Hand Sanitizer Safe? Is It Being Used?
PURELL® Hand Sanitizer kills 99.99% of germs that could cause illness, has a mild formula to keep hands feeling soft even with frequent use, and provides a pleasing sensory experience, meaning it has a nice smell and feel. That’s because every PURELL® product that leaves our facilities is manufactured according to strict FDA safety and regulatory standards, using only high-quality ingredients, and has passed rigorous testing. In fact, every product that leaves our facility is a promise – a promise that we make that the product is safe and efficacious so that you can get back to life, including in the classroom.
As you’re stocking up on your child’s supply list for back-to-school season, set them up for success with hand sanitizers that are safe, effective, and they’ll enjoy using. Consider sending your child back to school with these PURELL® hand sanitizers:
- PURELL® Advanced Hand Sanitizer Jelly Wraps™. Consider attaching one to your child’s backpack to use after they get off the bus. This portable option allows children convenient access when they need to kill germs in a hurry.
- PURELL® Advanced Hand Sanitizer Naturals. Send your child with a hand sanitizing pump bottle for the classroom. PURELL® Naturals use plant-based alcohol, essential oils, and natural skin conditioners to keep hands feeling soft.
- PURELL® Personal Size. Put these palm-sized packets in your child’s lunch bag or pocket to use when soap and water are not readily available. Personals make it easier to carry the power of the PURELL® brand with you wherever you go.
- PURELL® Hand Sanitizing Wipes. These durable, pre-moistened wipes have a light texture to both sanitize and help wipe away light soils on the hands. Place these in your child’s arts and crafts box to use after creating a masterpiece in the classroom.
Leading to success
Healthy students are better learners, so help your children have a productive and prosperous school year by setting them up with healthy habits that will serve them throughout their lives.