Convincing a preschooler that she has invisible germs on her hands can be difficult, leading to a struggle to get her to wash her hands. Help her see how essential soap and water are by letting her examine her hands under a microscope or with a magnifying glass. Let children get their hands dirty in a bucket of dirt or sand, then help each child wash one hand with soapy water and the other hand with a dry paper towel. When children examine their hands up close, they'll see that there's plenty of dirt left on the hand washed with only a towel.
Preschoolers need help brushing their own teeth because they may not reach all the nooks and crannies in their mouths on their own. Encourage good dental health by asking parents to send in toothbrushes and toothpaste and throw a daily "tooth-brushing party" after meal time. Get children excited about brushing their teeth by having everyone do it at the same time, with teachers helping guide children so they reach all their teeth. If you have a doll who has an open mouth, you may also bring in a spare toothbrush and let children take turns brushing her teeth.
Young children don't automatically know the correct way to thoroughly wash their hands, brush their teeth or take a shower. In the rush to get back to doing something fun, preschoolers often hurry through cleaning themselves. Showing them all the steps to cleaning teaches them the proper way to do it. Draw out each step to each cleaning process, then arrange them out of order on a page. Ask children to cut them out and arrange them in order. For instance, on a hand-washing page you would include a picture of a child turning on a faucet, squirting soap onto his hand, rubbing soapy hands together, rinsing off his hands, turning off the faucet and drying his hands on a towel.
Cleanliness doesn't have to only apply to our bodies. Activities that encourage children to keep their classroom and environment clean teach them to be respectful of one another and the Earth. Take students outside to look for trash. Preschoolers shouldn't touch litter themselves because there may be sharp edges, so ask them to call over a teacher whenever they spot something. In the classroom, whenever the room is messy after play time set a timer and challenge children to see how quickly they can clean up.