Good Hygiene Learning Activities for an Eight-Year-Old

If you've got kids, you've got germs; kids of all ages pass around countless germs each year, and eight-year-olds are no exception. Cold and flu germs are two of the main culprits in kid germ warfare, but you can teach your kids self-defense. The best hygiene strategy is a simple one: teach them to wash their hands.

Count to Twenty

• Eight-year-olds are becoming independent thinkers and their ability to stay on task is improving. A good hygiene learning activity for an eight-year old would be for him to practice counting to twenty while he washes his hands, since twenty seconds is the recommended time to achieve maximum cleanliness when washing your hands, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Tooth-Brushing Techniques

• Reading and writing skills are also developing quickly in your eight-year-old, and a good project would be to have her write a simple one-page book report on how to brush her teeth and supplement it with appropriate pictures. Have her practice these techniques by brushing for two minutes while watching the clock--also a good learning experience. Teach her to use short, gentle strokes when brushing and to be sure to brush those hard-to-reach back teeth.

Read a Book

• Take your eight-year-old to the library and let him choose a book on general hygiene. As he reads it to you, check his reading and vocabulary skills for comprehension and then ask him questions about what he just read. Next, have him make a list of the steps involved in brushing his teeth, washing his hands and taking a bath, and let him tell you why these things are important.

Bathing

• Explain to your eight-year old why bathing is important; she'll be able to understand a simple explanation of germs and how they make us sick. Make bathing fun with a bath chart that shows each day of the week and has room for a sticker each time she finishes a bath. Take advantage of all the bath toys on the market and let your eight-year old choose the one that will make her bath time fun.