- Teach proper hand washing - The most important health and hygiene habit to teach your child is to wash his or her hands, especially after coming home from school or playing outside and before eating. Hand washing is, without a doubt, one of the best ways to prevent the spread of germs and illnesses. With younger children, you may need to remind them from time to time not to splash and dash - run their hands for two seconds under the tap without soap and call it done. Make sure your child uses soap and lathers for at least 15 seconds (with the tap turned off to conserve water) before rinsing.
- Teach him to cover sneezes and coughs - Germs can travel far and wide on a sneeze or a cough. Get your child into the habit of covering his mouth and nose with a tissue (or his arm if he can’t reach a tissue fast enough) when he sneezes or coughs.
- Encourage good dental health and hygiene - younger children have the motor skills necessary to do a fairly good job of brushing teeth on their own (though you may still want to take a quick turn until he’s 6 or 7). Get your child into the habit of flossing, and brushing his tounge to avoid bad breath. Get a fun timer to help your child brush longer, like a cool little hourglass filled with blue sand.
- Set up regular bath times - Many parents find that evening baths are a nice way to relax a child before bed. And bathing the night before can help ease the morning rush.
Source: http://childparenting.about.com/od/healthsafety/a/teachinghygiene.htm
