8 Best Hygiene STEM Activities for Kids

Children are known for their hygienic habits! They touch every nook and cranny and then pull those same fingers into their mouths! Disgusting, right? 🙂

If that wasn’t enough to scare the parents, they climb the windows. It seems like the perfect recipe for sickness. This is where hygiene classes for children come to the rescue!

Even if you’re a parent with a high tolerance for dirty kids—or if you’ve dared to build them your own home science lab—it’s imperative that you teach your kids about hygiene and how they can keep themselves healthy.

Fun hygiene activities can help children understand the tricky concept of hygiene and help them see the ‘invisible germs’.

Hygiene STEM classes for children

Hygiene habits can make a big difference in boosting your child’s health and immunity. However, it is not easy to instill hygiene habits in children, as they do not follow instructions very well.

But what makes them exceptional is ‘learning by doing’. Teach them about cleanliness in a fun way with these STEM hygiene activities for kids and help them understand the science behind cleanliness.

1. Make your own microbes

The most important rule for getting children to listen is to involve them. So, if you plan to teach your children about germs and viruses, the first step should be to make a model of a germ.

Technically speaking, microbes and viruses are unicellular organisms, but the latter are parasites.

Don’t overwhelm your little one with too many technical details and make this hygiene exercise for preschoolers and kindergarteners fun and clear.

Step 1: Roll clay or regular dough into a ball.

Step 2: Take toothpicks or cotton buds and cut them in half.

Step 3: Insert the halves into the dough so that they are partially inside the dough and half is sticking out.

That’s it! Your germ/virus model is ready.

Before we get into the rest of the cleaning exercises for kids, here’s a silly question:

Why did the microbe get into the microscope? To go to another slide!

Enjoyed this little joke? There are many more… check out Science Jokes for Kids!

2. Go in search of microbes

Germs are microscopic, meaning you can’t see them with the naked eye. To help kids understand that even their clean hands have germs, try this STEM hygiene activity:

Step 1: Ask your children to look at their hands and tell you if they are clean. Most children will say yes. Now have them touch different surfaces in the house, such as cupboards, shelves, toys, etc.

Step 2: Ask your children again if they think their hands are clean. Reinforce the idea that microbes are microscopic organisms that cannot be seen with the naked eye, and ask them the same question again. Most kids will agree that their hands still look clean.

Step 3: Now take a baby wipe and gently wipe their hands. You will notice that the napkin will turn brown. Show this to your kids and tell them these are germs that stuck to their hands.

Quick Tip: Also check out these fun science activities for kids to play sneaky while bending over!

3. Wash your hands

Now that your kids understand what germs and viruses are, why not teach them how to wash their hands properly? Doctors recommend that you always wash your hands with soap, wiping them for at least 20 seconds before washing off the soap.

But children are often in a hurry and neglect the 20-second rule. Try this simple exercise to help them understand the meaning of this 20-second golden rule.

This is one of the best hygiene measures for students, and a must for every classroom, as hand washing is at the top of the personal hygiene list.

Step 1: Take a plastic glove, blow it up like a balloon and tie it around its mouth.

Step 2: On the glove, randomly draw some germs with markers on the board.

Step 3: Ask the child if he/she can wash the germs off the glove without following the 20 second rule. Are germs still present?

Step 4: Try washing the glove again, just washing it well with soap and counting to 20 this time. Boom! The germs are gone.

4. Make a hand washing poster

Once your child has learned how to wash their hands properly, give them this simple worksheet to cut and paste the sequence of the process.

It’s a great idea to help kids make their own hand washing poster. This helps them summarize what they have learned and remember it better. They can even stick it on the kitchen or bathroom wall right above the sink or vanity.

5. Make posters or stickers with germs

Children love coloring and art. So why not let them color the germs as they learn all about germs. Print out the germ posters above and let your child color them with oil pastels.

Every time your kids touch the posters, some of the oil paint will rub off on their hands. Thus showing how germs spread.

Definitely one of the most favorite cleanliness activities for toddlers and preschoolers!

6. Exercise “Traveling microbes”

Another hygiene STEM activity for kids to help them understand how germs travel from one person to another.

Try this simple cleanliness exercise for kids to help them understand the science of spreading germs.

Step 1: Pick up a plate of plain wheat flour and ask your child to press it with their hands. Flour here symbolizes germs.

Step 2: Now that your kids have flour on their hands, ask them to shake your hand.

Step 3: Have the child play with their blocks/soft toys for 5 minutes.

Step 4: After the pile, sit down with your child and help them find the flour marks on your hands (from shaking hands), their toys, and any places they’ve touched.

This is how germs spread. Help your child understand that when they sneeze/cough or touch something unclean, they are transferring germs. These germs, like wheat flour, are carried with them and transferred to everything else they touch.

7. Exercise with coughing and sneezing

Another fun hygiene exercise for kids that will help them understand why it’s important to cover your mouth/nose when you cough or sneeze.

Step 1: Take a spray bottle and fill it with colored water.

Step 2: Pretend to sneeze/cough by spraying colored water each time you do. it.

Step 3: Observe how far the water has traveled. Now try it with your child. Ask her/him to stand next to you while you pretend to sneeze/cough.

Did the water reach your child? This is how germs spread from one person to another when they sneeze or cough without covering their face.

8. Experiment with soap and pepper

Now that you’ve shown kids how germs are everywhere and how to get rid of them in fun hygiene exercises, teach them how soap really cleans their hands.

This easy personal hygiene exercise will spark your child’s mind, allow them to ask questions and develop analytical thinking.

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Source: 8 Best Hygiene STEM Activities for Kids