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"Germs, Germs Go Away" - Time for some sensory play!
Germs, Germs Go Away
This activity is a sensory experience that will help children understand the importance of washing our hands to keep them clean. Your child will enjoy using the brush to push the "germs" out of the outlined hands. Plus, it can teach them the importance of how long we need to wash our hands in order in order to get them clean.
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- A brush such as a bottle brush, toothbrush, etc.
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- A medium or large zipper bag
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- Small or medium pom poms (or beads, beans, rice, etc.)
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- 4 Tablespoons of clear soap, detergent, or hair gel
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- Tape
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- 1 Permanent marker or pen
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- Optional: Germs Go Away song by Daniel Tigers Neighbourhood
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- Ask your child to place their hands on the bag and outline them using a marker.
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- Open the bag and fill it with 4 spoons of gel (clear soap or detergent).
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- Add in the pompoms (or beads, rice beans, etc.)
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- Turn the bag over so that marker side is facing down.
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- Push around the pom poms to cover the hands.
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- Use the toothbrush to scrub the pom poms/germs outside the hands.
This is a fun way to show children the importance of scrubbing our hands properly to clean the invisible germs and protect ourselves and others from getting sick. Invite your child by saying “Can you help me clean these dirty hands?”. Allow your child to take their time trying to scrub off the germs using the brush. This action will help them strengthen their fine motor skills. Enrich their language by describing what they are doing with words like scrub, brush, germs, wash, clean, etc. Ask them open-ended questions to start a discussion about washing our hands. For example, "What are things that make our hands dirty?”, “Why do you think it’s important for us to wash our hands?” and “When are important times we should wash our hands?”. You can take this opportunity to explain to your child that germs are like little tiny bugs that can sometimes make us sick if we don’t wash our hands properly. You can sing a simple song while your child engages in this activity like “Germs, germs, go away. Don’t come back another day. Scrubs and soap will wash away. Germs, germs go away!”. Keep this sensory experience simple and enjoyable.
PLASP Child Care Services