Introduction

Teaching young children about personal hygiene is essential for developing healthy habits and promoting their social-emotional well-being. One important aspect of hygiene is maintaining clean hair. In this blog post, we will explore the significance of hair hygiene for PreK students, provide a no-prep activity for educators to use in their classrooms, and offer discussion questions and related skills for further learning.

No-Prep Activity: The Clean Hair Relay

This activity requires no preparation or materials and can be easily adapted for any group size. It helps students understand the importance of washing their hair regularly and encourages teamwork and communication.

1. Divide the students into two teams and have them line up on opposite sides of the room.
2. Explain that they will be participating in a relay race. The goal is to pass a pretend bottle of shampoo from the first person in line to the last person, using only their elbows.
3. When the last person in line receives the pretend shampoo bottle, they should pretend to wash their hair, then pass it back to the front of the line using their elbows.
4. The first team to complete the relay and have everyone pretend to wash their hair wins.

This activity helps students understand the importance of clean hair and allows them to practice teamwork and communication skills in a fun and engaging way.

Discussion Questions

1. Why is it important to wash our hair regularly?
2. How does having clean hair make us feel about ourselves?
3. How can we help remind each other to maintain good hair hygiene?
4. What are some other good hygiene habits we should practice?
5. How do our hygiene habits affect our relationships with others?

Related Skills

In addition to hair hygiene, there are other important skills and habits students should learn to promote their overall well-being. Some related skills include:

• Handwashing: Teach students proper handwashing techniques to prevent the spread of germs and maintain good health.
• Oral hygiene: Encourage students to brush their teeth and practice good oral care to keep their teeth and gums healthy.
• Personal space: Help students understand the concept of personal space and respect the boundaries of others.
• Self-awareness: Foster students’ self-awareness by encouraging them to recognize and express their feelings and emotions.

Next Steps

Now that you have learned about the importance of hair hygiene and engaged your students in a fun, no-prep activity, it’s time to explore more resources to support their social-emotional learning. Sign up for free samples of Everyday Speech’s materials to access a wide range of activities, videos, and lessons tailored for PreK students and beyond.