--- title: 'Washing hands: How to get kids in the habit' description: Some kids have trouble understanding how to wash their hands or why washing hands is important. Here are tips to get your child in the habit of hand-washing. slug: washing-hands-how-to-get-kids-in-the-habit author: The Understood Team reviewer: Amanda Morin published: '2020-03-16T19:05:33.694Z' thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/1kHm43WRwNWbEQ2FnBC81H/c623b9f03478174c2bbdf9a2e6df2c62/G1163904489.jpg source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/washing-hands-how-to-get-kids-in-the-habit lang: en --- # Washing hands: How to get kids in the habit Some kids who learn and think differently have trouble understanding the benefit of doing things like washing their hands. Or they may not think about the consequences if they don’t do it. It’s also hard for some kids to [follow directions](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/why-trouble-following-directions). No matter why your child isn’t washing up, the important thing is to get your child in the habit. Here are some ideas: - Put written or picture reminders around your home and in your child’s lunchbox and backpack. - Write step-by-step instructions for washing hands, either in words or pictures. (We’ve created [a simple one you can download](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/2-minute-tutorial-self-care-routines-for-kids-with-motor-skills-issues).) Put them near the sink where your child can easily see them. - Demonstrate the right way to wash hands or show them a video. Here are a [few from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention](https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/videos.html) in both English and Spanish. Calmly explain that washing hands can keep people from getting sick. And not doing it puts people at risk — especially older people and people who already have health problems. Your child can help keep them safe. --- ## Explore related topics and articles - [Washing hands](https://cdn-assets.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/76IDkLso2dQAVaXIju4r1I/91f614cae4e125b510b784d01b01cf15/Steps_for_washing_hands_Understood.pdf) - 2018 Understood for All, Inc. Steps for washing hands Push up my sleeves \(if needed\). Squirt soap on my hands \(or rub a bar of soap on my hands\). Rinse the soap off my hands. Make sure the water is turned off. Turn on the water and wet my hands. Rub my hands together for 20 seconds. Dry - [How to help your child with writing](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-to-help-your-child-with-writing) - Kids can struggle with writing in different ways. They might have messy handwriting or have trouble taking notes. Or they might have a hard time getting ideas on paper. If your child has trouble writing, here are strategies you can use at home to help. - [Messy handwriting in kids: What you need to know](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/why-is-my-childs-handwriting-so-bad) - - Lots of kids have messy handwriting. - When kids have poor handwriting, it doesnt mean theyre lazy. - You can help your child get better at handwriting. Most people expect young kids to have messy handwriting. Learning to write letters and put them in the right spot to make words and sentence --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/washing-hands-how-to-get-kids-in-the-habit#webpage","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/washing-hands-how-to-get-kids-in-the-habit","description":"Some kids have trouble understanding how to wash their hands or why washing hands is important. Here are tips to get your child in the habit of hand-washing."},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/washing-hands-how-to-get-kids-in-the-habit","name":"Washing hands: How to get kids in the habit"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","datePublished":"2020-03-16T19:05:33.694Z","description":"Some kids have trouble understanding how to wash their hands or why washing hands is important. Here are tips to get your child in the habit of hand-washing.","headline":"Washing hands: How to get kids in the habit","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/washing-hands-how-to-get-kids-in-the-habit","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.understood.org/#organization","name":"Understood for All Inc","logo":"https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/307jFAYQevghG8nQMCjh89/ccdbbec895765824db43f6d30b496e83/logo_lockup_navy.jpg"}}] ```