Good Personal Hygiene

August 20, 2019 Educator's Corner

Keeping ourselves clean is an important part of staying healthy. One of the most effective ways we need to protect ourselves and others from illness is good personal hygiene. It means having good practices of taking care of one’s self and leading to a healthy lifestyle.
In their elementary years it is good to teach our children about personal hygiene. They must be taught the basics of good hygiene – washing their hands, brushing teeth, combing hair, cleaning the ears, eyes, nose, trimming nails, covering mouth when they coughed, having regular baths or showers, and good grooming.
If these kids are in the habit of doing things regularly, hygiene can be a normal part of their daily routine. For younger children, a written schedule on what to do and when to do it may be of help.
Good hygiene habit in childhood is a great foundation for good hygiene in the teenage years. For Pre-teens who are in ages 11-12, they are encouraged to develop good hygiene habits for this would be of great help in developing good personal hygiene in their adolescence. It is a time when children’s changing body means that their personal hygiene will need to change too or improve.
In studies, it has been proven that being clean and well-presented is an important part of confidence for teens. It can boost self-esteem and projects a positive image that reflects one’s personality.
“Practicing good body hygiene helps you feel good about yourself, which is important for your mental health and will boost your confidence” notes Donald Novey, MD, an integrative medicine physician with the Advocate Medical Group in Park Ridge, Ill.
Good personal hygiene practices are indeed beneficial to children not only today but later in life, and so teachers and parents must work together in educating these children, letting them practice good personal hygiene at an early age. Parents to train their children at home and teachers to reinforce these by letting them practice the habit in school and finding ways to integrate in the lesson the importance of good personal hygiene.
 
By: April M. Eslay
Lucban Elementary School