Washy Washy Clean
Inculcating proper hand washing techniques in young children
It's fun to wash your hands
And I know you understand
So we washy washy clean, scrub scrub
The Health Promotion Board (HPB) has developed a new song entitled Washy Washy Clean for pre-schoolers, to help them cultivate the correct hand washing habit. Washy Washy Clean will be launched on Thursday, 21 May 2009 by Minister for Health Mr Khaw Boon Wan at My First Skool at Whampoa Drive.
2. Hand washing with soap is an important way of protecting oneself against infectious diseases such as Influenza and Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD). It is important to start cultivating this habit from young to ensure that children will carry it through with them to adulthood.
3. Set to the catchy tune of a well-loved children s song, children are encouraged to sing the Washy Washy Clean song while performing the accompanying hand washing steps. CDs of this song will be distributed to every pre-school and childcare centre in Singapore.
4. To educate pre-schoolers on the importance of personal hygiene, an activity book, Germs Go Away , has been developed in collaboration with the National Environmental Agency (NEA). Featuring mascots from the NEA s Clean and Healthy Me pre-school package, it contains simple information and fun activities to engage the children on the importance of personal hygiene. It is available for download by all pre-schools at the HPB website.
5. It is never too early to take charge of one s own health, says Mr Lam Pin Woon, Chief Executive Officer, HPB. The Washy Washy Clean song helps children to remember proper hand washing steps in a fun way. We hope that it will create a ripple effect in the family, and encourage other family members to adopt good personal hygiene practices to protect themselves against infectious diseases such as Influenza and HFMD.
6. HPB also recommends that children adopt other good hygiene practices besides regular and proper hand washing. These include covering the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and using a serving spoon when sharing common dishes. HPB would also like to remind all parents that if their child is unwell, they should bring him/her to the family doctor and ensure their child stays at home, away from school and public places like shopping centres and playgrounds, so as not to infect other people.
Annex A- Washy Washy Clean Song Lyrics