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Washing hands and staying clean

Learn how and when to wash hands with soap, and simple habits like brushing teeth and covering coughs that keep us healthy.

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. Some things have tiny germs on them that we cannot see. Washing our hands with soap helps keep us healthy.

Germs are tiny living things that are too small to see. Some germs can make us ill. They can sit on our hands.

Wash your hands with soap and water. Wet your hands, rub soap all over them, rub for at least 20 seconds, rinse well and dry with a clean towel.

Always wash your hands before you eat and after you use the toilet. Wash them after playing outside too.

Brush your teeth two times a day, in the morning and at night before bed. Take a bath regularly and wear clean clothes. Ask an adult to help trim your nails so they stay short and clean.

When you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with your elbow or a clean tissue. Then wash your hands.

Five steps to wash handsFive boxes in a row, each with a number. 1 Wet your hands. 2 Soap on hands. 3 Rub for 20 seconds. 4 Rinse with water. 5 Dry with a towel. 1 Wet your hands 2 Soap on hands 3 Rub 20 seconds 4 Rinse with water 5 Dry with towel Wash before eating and after the toilet
Wash before eating and after the toilet.

Worked examples

See how it works

  1. Counting to 20

    While you rub your hands with soap, count slowly from 1 to 20. That is about 20 seconds. You can also sing a short song two times.

  2. A day of clean habits

    Morning: brush teeth. Before lunch: wash hands. After the toilet: wash hands. After play: wash hands. Night: brush teeth. That is 2 times brushing teeth and many times washing hands.

  3. When we cough

    Aarav needs to cough. He covers his mouth with his elbow. Then he washes his hands with soap.

Try it at home

My clean habits chart

You will need

  • A sheet of paper
  • A pencil
  • Crayons

What to do

  1. Draw a chart with the days of the week across the top.
  2. Write three rows: Washed hands before eating, Brushed teeth in the morning, Brushed teeth at night.
  3. Each day, colour a star when you do each habit.
  4. At the end of the week, count your stars and tell your family.

Ask a grown-up: An adult can stay near the sink while you wash your hands and can help you trim your nails.

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 and staying clean (Classes 1-2, Health and safety)

  1. What do we use with water to wash our hands?
  2. For how many seconds should we rub our hands with soap?
  3. Should we wash our hands before we eat?
  4. Should we wash our hands after using the toilet?
  5. How many times a day should we brush our teeth?
  6. When do we brush our teeth?
  7. What should we do when we cough or sneeze?
  8. What should we do about our nails?
  9. Which is the first step of washing hands?
  10. Name one more habit that keeps us clean.

Answer key

Answers: Washing hands and staying clean

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.
  2. At least 20 seconds.
  3. Yes.
  4. Yes.
  5. 2 times a day.
  6. In the morning and at night before bed.
  7. Cover the mouth and nose with the elbow or a clean tissue, then wash our hands.
  8. Keep them short and clean (an adult helps trim them).
  9. Wet your hands with clean water.
  10. Sample answers: take a bath, wear clean clothes, comb your hair.

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

All 136 lessonsAll printable books

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