How to Explain the Importance of Handwashing to Your Child: COVID-19 Health

“If I can’t see it, it’s not there.”

This is the logic of a child. They can’t SEE the germs, they can’t FEEL the germs, so the germs must not be there.

COVID-19 Health

Moms, we’re in a sticky situation. And I’m not talking about the jam and boogers that usually plague our children’s little fingers.

Whether you’re mildly worried or whether you’re in a full panic, COVID-19 is a common concern for every mother in the world today.

So, how do you get your kids to wash their hands? These kids that just don’t get it because they can’t SEE the germs?

How to Explain the Importance of Hand-Washing to Your Child

This is the illustration I used the other day to explain the importance of handwashing to my kids:

Mom: What food do you hate most? (Eg. mushrooms, green peppers, tomatoes)

Child: Mushrooms!

Mom: Okay. If I chopped up 1 mushroom into teeny tiny pieces and put those pieces into a giant pot of chili, would you notice them while you’re eating the chili?

Child: No.

Mom: What if I chopped up 1,000 mushrooms into teeny tiny pieces and put those pieces into a giant pot of chili? Would you notice them, then?

Child: Ew. Yeah!

Mom: That’s how our body feels about germs. If we get 1 teeny tiny Coronavirus into our mouth, our body can fight it easily. We’ll never even notice it. BUT, if we get thousands of teeny tiny Coronaviruses into our mouth, our body can’t handle that much, and we’ll get sick. Make sense?

Child: Uh huh.

Mom: That’s why it’s so important to wash your hands. If fewer germs stay on your hands, there’s less chance of getting sick.