Let's Talk About the Swine Flu and Young Children

Young children will hear something about the Swine Flu from parents and older siblings, or accidentally on television. To young children this information can very confusing or even frightening.

Here are some resources from the Children's National Medical Center you can visit to help the young children better understand what the virus is and how to stay healthy.

H1N1 (Swine Flu) - What You and Your Family Need to Know

Talking with Children about H1N1 (Swine Flu)

Print this out from the CDC website and post it right above every sink! Clean Hands Save Lives!

Click here to access H1N1 from CDC resources in other languages
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PreschoolFirst hand washing tip!

Doctors report the best way to avoid the flu is to wash your hands often! Researchers suggest that adults and children soap up their hands for 30 seconds and rinse them thoroughly. So how long is 30 seconds to a young child who cannot yet tell time or count to 30?

Make regular hand washing a playful experience by asking children to sing songs while they take a turn lathering at the faucet. Try these ideas to keep things fresh:

• Hum the tune to "Happy Birthday to You," and help children to chant and count from 1 to 10 AND count backwards from 10 to 1 as they lather up between each finger, and then to rinse well.
• Sing the alphabet song with each child as they lather, then rinse. For the ones who already know the alphabet well, help them learn to say it backwards!
• Sing an original version of an old favorite such as "This is the Way!"

For example:

This is the way (Child's name) squirts the soap, squirts the soap, squirts the soap.
This is the way (Child's name) squirts the soap, to keep the flu from spreading.

This is the way he lathers the soap, lathers the soap, lathers the soap.
This is the way he lathers the soap, to keep the flu from spreading.

This is the way he scrubs between fingers, scrubs between fingers, scrubs between fingers.
This is the way he scrubs between fingers, to keep the flu from spreading.

This is the way he rinses his hands, rinses his hands, rinses his hands.
This is the way he rinses his hands, to keep the flu from spreading.

This is the way (Child's name) washes his hands, washes his hands, washes his hands.
This is the way (Child's name) washes his hands, to keep the flu from spreading.

Do you have other ideas about ways to engage young children in hand washing? Please share them with us!