Select a song that appeals to your group of preschool children. If they have just learned a new song or if they have a favorite song, use it. Find a song that children can sing in approximately 20 seconds.
Talk briefly about germs and how germs can make people sick if they get inside the body. Tell the children that we cannot see germs, but they are everywhere, including our hands. Talk about how washing hands is a way to remove germs from hands and keep them from getting inside the body. Mention the important times to wash hands, including before eating, after using the bathroom and after playing outside.
Show the children how to use warm water and enough soap to create a thick lather all over the hands. Instruct the children to sing the song you selected while they scrub their hands. They must scrub their hands for the entire time they sing the song (at least 20 seconds). Mention scrubbing between fingers and under fingernails also.
Demonstrate rinsing the soap from your hands and drying them with a towel.
Invite the children to pretend washing their hands if you have a large group. If you have a smaller group and time permits, invite the children to actually wash their hands using these new techniques. While the children either pretend to wash their hands or wash their hands with water, have everyone sing the song to ensure they connect singing the song with the time spent scrubbing.
Encourage the children to show their parents their new handwashing technique and to sing the song each time they wash their hands. This will ensure that the children lather their hands for at least 20 seconds, and kill the majority of the germs on their hands.