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Washing hands: the six steps

Learn the six steps for washing hands with soap and water so that germs go down the drain.

Get the whole book: Health and safety for classes 1 and 2 (5 lessons, free to print)

Let us begin

The big idea

Our hands touch many things all day. Germs are tiny living things that we cannot see, and some of them can make us sick. Washing our hands the right way sends them down the drain.

We should wash our hands with soap and water before we eat, after we use the toilet, after we play outside and after we cough or sneeze into our hands.

Water alone does not clean well. Soap helps lift the dirt and germs off our skin. We must rub the soap for about 20 seconds. That is as long as it takes to sing a short song twice.

Here are six steps. Step 1: wet your hands. Step 2: put on soap. Step 3: rub your palms together. Step 4: rub the back of each hand and between the fingers. Step 5: rub your thumbs and your fingertips. Step 6: rinse well and dry with a clean cloth.

Clean hands help keep us and our friends healthy. Remember to turn off the tap when you finish so that no water is wasted.

Six steps to clean handsSix numbered boxes in two rows: wet, soap, palms, backs and fingers, thumbs and tips, rinse and dry. 1Wet hands 2Put on soap 3Rub palms 4Backs, fingers 5Thumbs, tips 6Rinse and dry
Do all six steps. It takes about 20 seconds of rubbing.

Worked examples

See how it works

  1. Before a meal

    Rani comes home from play. Before lunch she washes her hands with soap for 20 seconds. Then she eats with clean hands.

  2. After the toilet

    Everyone should wash their hands with soap after using the toilet. This stops germs from spreading to food, doors and friends.

  3. After a sneeze

    Ravi sneezes into his elbow and then washes his hands. The germs do not spread to his friends.

Try it at home

Wash and sing

You will need

  • Soap
  • Running water
  • A clean towel or cloth
  • A short song you know

What to do

  1. Stand at the tap with an adult nearby.
  2. Wet your hands and put on soap.
  3. Rub your hands in all six steps while you sing your short song twice.
  4. Rinse well and dry with a clean cloth.
  5. Wash your hands this way before every meal this week.

Ask a grown-up: An adult can watch you wash and help you remember the six steps.

Practice sheet

Check what you learned

Write your answers in a notebook, or print this sheet and write on it. When you finish, mark your work with the answer key.

Practice sheet: Washing hands: the six steps (Classes 1-2, Health and safety)

  1. What do we wash our hands with?
  2. Name two times when we must wash our hands.
  3. For how long should we rub our hands with soap?
  4. What is step 1 of washing hands?
  5. What is the last step?
  6. Why is water alone not enough?
  7. What should you do after you sneeze into your hands?
  8. Where should you sneeze or cough to keep germs away?
  9. Why should we turn off the tap after washing?
  10. How many steps are there in washing hands?

Answer key

Answers: Washing hands: the six steps

Do the practice sheet first, then check here. If an answer is different from yours, read the lesson again and try once more.

  1. Soap and clean water.
  2. Sample answers: before eating and after using the toilet.
  3. About 20 seconds.
  4. Wet your hands.
  5. Rinse and dry your hands.
  6. Soap helps lift dirt and germs off the skin.
  7. Wash your hands with soap and water.
  8. Into your elbow or a tissue.
  9. To save water.
  10. 6 steps.

What next

Keep learning

Get the whole book

All 5 health and safety lessons for classes 1 and 2 on one page, with every practice sheet and answer key, ready to print.

Health and safety for classes 1 and 2

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