Do you have trouble getting your children to wash up using soap whether it’s to wash their hands before dinner or to take a bath before bed? Often children think this kind of a task is pretty boring and refuse to do it because it takes them away from something fun. But what if washing up became fun?
Making Washing Up More Fun
As a child play therapist and mom of two, I know a thing or two about making chores and other tedious tasks into fun, playful games for kids so they actually want to participate. I also often talk about using a child’s sensory system to engage children in trying new tasks or engaging in less preferred activities. Children are natural sensory seekers, and use their hands to regulate through play. Thus, here are some suggestions on how to get your kids to wash their hands and take a bath when asked!
Tip 1:
As much as I am typically about structure and predictability, I suggest try mixing up bath time in your daily routine! Most kids are given a bath at nighttime before bed, but that isn’t the only time to give a bath and sometimes not the best time for the overtired parent or the overtired child. If bath time is a struggle, mix it up. Ask your child when they want to take a bath and see if that extra empowerment of choice helps them enjoy it more. Sometimes by the time bath time comes around, it’s more of a struggle because the parent and or child are too tired and then become inpatient and irritable. So try doing bath in the morning or before dinner.
Tip 2:
Try a positive incentive for your child if they take a bath when asked without protest. You can keep a sticker chart for your kids, and if they take a bath without protest, they get a sticker! Then, after so many stickers, they might get to stay up 30 minutes later before bed, have extra time on their iPad, or get a special dessert after dinner! Kids love to work towards something fun and feel pride earning it, and they also want to please you, so praise them for then they comply when asked!
Tip 3:
You’ll want to mix up the toys in the bath. Kids get bored of the same toys over and over again. So have two sets of bath toys and then switch them out every week or two. That way, you can wash the toys in between weeks and also possibly add something new for the next week! Bath toys don’t have to cost a lot of money, get creative and get objects and toys from around the house to play with in the bath. Maybe get some plastic blocks for them to build using their imagination or some used plastic water bottles and some kitchen utensils like tongs to play with during the bath! Think of the bath as a giant sensory table!
Tip 4:
Make up a special song together for when your children wash their hands. Many people sing “Happy Birthday” during a hand washing due to the length and familiarity of the song, but I challenge you to create your own song to sing! The song should be about 20 seconds long and can go to the same music as your child’s favorite song like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” or the latest hit from Katy Perry, so get creative and make it fun!
Tip 5:
Invest in some fun bath soap! I love companies like One Fun™ that creates and designs products to make kids excited about washing up and makes parents’ lives easier in the meantime! One Fun™ products inspire creativity, curiosity, and playful fun! This step is pretty easy and straightforward, so shop away, and see bath and hand washing time become a lot easier and more fun with with One Fun™ SPLATZ! Haven’t heard of them yet? SPLATZ are natural bubbles of pure soap that gently burst in your hands. So fun, right? They were developed by a mom and two Harvard scientists using natural and biodegradable ingredients, and they are a game changer in the bathroom! If your kids like slime, fidgets, and bubbles, they will love SPLATZ!
The Basics: Ingredients
As a mom, I am very careful about reading labels and am very concerned about what goes on my children’s skin. One Fun™ products are safe for children 3+ and are made from natural and biodegradable ingredients. SPLATZ are also earth-friendly, gentle on skin, and are free from Parabens, BHT, phthalates, or mineral oil. Ingredients include: water, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, lauryl glucoside, sodium lauryl sarcosinate, sodium PCA, calcium and sodium salts, phenoxyethanol, ethylhexylglycerin, natural thickening agents, DL panthenol, colorant, fragrances, citric acid.
SPLATZ Naturally Fun Hand Soap
This fun hand soap comes in three different colors: Turquoise Sky, Magenta Rose, and Green Apple. We have the Turquoise Sky since we love the color blue! When we wash our hands, in addition to singing a unique song, we like to wash our hands as a family and all squeeze our SPLATZ at the same time! It’s a play-based game that will help attachment between parent and child and make washing up for mealtime fun! This product is recommended for children 3+ and parental supervision is advised. Make sure to splat away from the face and do not eat them!
SPLODEZ Bubble Bath & Body Wash
This product comes in a powerful purple color! All you have to do is use one SPLODEZ for your body and about 5 in the bathtub for your bubble bath. To help the bubble process, run water over the SPLODEZ at the beginning of the bath. We like to put our SPLODEZ into a toy like a pirate ship and sail them down the water until they get to the spout. Then the pirate ship tips over and the SPLODEZ go overboard into the water to make fun bath bubbles! Come up with your own creative game in the bath with your child using your imagination, toys, and SPLODEZ! This product is recommended for children 3+ and parental supervision is advised. Make sure to splat away from the face and do not eat them!
Giving Back
As a mental health child therapist, I love that the One Fun™ Company has partnered with YourMomCares to help change the dialogue around mental health and wellness in children. YourMomCares creates and funds innovative, cutting-edge programs and solutions which have a direct impact on children and adolescents, and is working hard to remove the stigma surrounding kids’ mental health. A percentage of every purchase of SPLATZ™ is donated directly to YourMomCares. Please visit YourMomCares.org and our IMPACT 4 KIDS page to learn more.
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