As the temperature drops and the winter colds and flu start circulating, it’s the perfect time to talk to children about the importance of personal hygiene.
Teaching children effective health and hygiene habits from an early age can play a key role in helping to prevent the spread of viruses and infections in school environments.
We spoke with Scott Annett, Health, Hygiene & Safety Specialist at Winc, who shared six tips to keep the winter colds and flu to a minimum this season.
“As a father of three young girls, I know that kids get sick! A yearly cold is almost inevitable – it’s part of growing up. And the odd cold isn’t all bad as overcoming a winter bug can strengthen children’s naturally occurring antibodies. But there are definite steps kids (and adults) can take to try to minimise their exposure,” shared Scott.
1. Educate kids on the importance of washing their hands.
Washing hands thoroughly with soap and water in between classroom breaks, particularly after touching your nose or mouth is one of the most effective ways to help prevent the spread of colds and flu.
Recent research1 shows that children due to their limited exposure to viruses, are likely to experience at least six colds per year, compared to adults who may only have two to four colds a year2.
Scott recommends making hand hygiene fun and interactive in the classroom while being educational at the same time.
“Make the process of handwashing fun for children by using the Colop Wash Me Stamp. Simply stamp a child’s hand with the ‘virus monster’ imprint. It gives them a visual reminder to wash their hands during the day. If handwashing has been done correctly, the imprint should be gone at the end of the day,” says Scott.
2. Encourage proper cough and sneeze etiquette.
Colds and flu spread easily through airborne droplets from coughing and sneezing, making them highly contagious, especially among children. Children often carry large amounts of the virus in their nasal secretions and shed it more frequently during the infectious period. Additionally, children typically have closer contact with each other and may have poorer hygiene practices, further increasing the risk of transmission.
Scott recommends a fun classroom activity to get everyone understanding the importance of winter hygiene etiquette.
“Do you do the dab? It’s a dance where you put one arm straight in the air and bend the other elbow to your face. Children love doing the dab and it’s a perfect way to demonstrate how they should cough or sneeze into the crook of the arm to avoid spreading germs,” suggested Scott.
3. Arm their backpack with supplies to carry on the go!
Encourage students to carry pocked-sized tissues, hand sanitiser, and a few first aid items in their school bags, in addition to shared amenities at school.
For the classroom, supplying a shared and easily accessible large sanitiser gel such as Dettol Healthy Touch Liquid Antibacterial Instant Hand Sanitiser will help eliminate 99.99% of harmful germs without water. Alternatively, the Dettol Biodegradable Disinfectant Wipes Fresh Pack 110 can clean germs off surfaces instantly and kill flu and COVID-19 as well as 90% of allergens.
“Supplying children with easily available essentials will help them take action fast and make them less worried. Our girls have really embraced the experience of having their own personal sanitiser, even sharing it with friends to help encourage good habits and keep the ring of protection around their besties!” says Scott.
4. Avoid sharing personal items.
There are some things that shouldn’t be shared among children, such as drink bottles, lunch boxes and stationery. Sharing these items can unknowingly spread germs. To help minimise the spread of germs, use a label maker to individually mark their items.
“Having a label on personal items will help identify whose item it is and indicate that it’s a non-shared item, which is especially important during cold and flu season. So bring out the label maker and get the class involved,” says Scott.
5. Stay home when sick.
Kids should stay home from school when they have a fever, cold and flu or other signs of feeling unwell to recover. It will also decrease the risk of spread to other kids and to teachers. Staying home allows them to rest and recover, potentially limiting the duration of the illness.
“Staying home, even when there are mild symptoms, can help protect everyone and means they can rest and recover, which is often the best way to get over an illness.” says Scott.
6. Have a cold and flu defence kit for the classroom.
Being prepared for when children do come to school sick or have early signs of illness requires a classroom defence kit.
To help keep germs contained, your “must have essentials” should include the soft and absorbent Sorbent® Professional silky white facial tissues which are gentle on the skin and sensitive little noses.
Germs that aren’t caught in tissues should be eliminated with Glen 20 Disinfectant Spray Berry Scent 300g. The spray will kill 99.9% of germs and virus on both hard and soft surfaces.
Also, don’t forget encourage regular hand washing with the Diversey Soft Care Dermawash Aloe Vera Hand Wash, which won’t strip moisture and has added vitamin E.
“While students love colouring books and using Faber-Castell’s Triangular Coloured Pencils that come in permanent water-based colours, hand hygiene measures are very important when sharing,” says Scott.
Help keep your kids safe this winter by teaching them about cold and flu etiquette and good hygiene practices. Shop our Hot Winter Sale for all your cleaning and hygiene essentials this winter.
References:
1 ‘Preventing colds: Knowing what works’, <NCHP15-Poll-report-final.pdf>
2Colds, <Colds | healthdirect>
