From Handwashing to Sun Safety: Essential Self-Care Skills for Early Childhood

At Imagine Childcare, teaching hygiene and self-care skills is an essential part of our early childhood education program. These everyday routines may seem simple, but they play a big role in supporting children’s health, independence, and confidence.

Children aged 0–6 are still developing their immune systems and are more vulnerable to germs and illnesses. Teaching hygiene for children in these early years not only helps prevent the spread of disease, but also lays the foundation for lifelong habits.

In group settings such as childcare centres, hygiene practices like handwashing for children become even more important. With shared toys, meals, and learning spaces, it’s vital that children understand when and how to clean their hands and care for their bodies.

Handwashing is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. At Imagine Childcare, we make handwashing fun and easy to understand for children through songs, stories, and visual cues.

We teach children to:

✋ Wet their hands

🧼 Apply soap

👏 Scrub for at least 15 seconds (sing a song to help!)

🚰 Rinse thoroughly

🙌 Dry their hands completely

Children are encouraged to wash their hands before eating, after using the toilet, after outdoor play, and any time they sneeze or cough. By turning handwashing into a routine part of their day, children quickly build healthy hygiene habits.

Download our handwashing poster to help your children nail their handwashing technique

Beyond hygiene, general self-care skills are an important part of every child’s development. These include:

Brushing teeth
Blowing their nose
Putting on shoes and hats
Using the toilet independently
Packing away their belongings

Another important part of our daily routine is teaching children to be SunSmart. At Imagine Childcare, children are encouraged to apply their own sunscreen each morning and before going outside to play. We set up Sun Safety Stations across our childcare centres to make this easy, fun, and accessible. Educators supervise and guide the process, helping children learn how to protect their skin while developing a sense of responsibility.

Imagine Childcare centres practising sun safety

We also introduce the children to self-care in the form of regular check-ups for healthy teeth and eyes. That’s why we’re proud to host regular Dental and Optics visits, offering families convenient access to professional dental and eye screenings at the centres.

By introducing children to dental and vision checks in a familiar environment, we reduce anxiety and normalise these important health habits from a young age. It’s just one more way we help support every aspect of your child’s wellbeing.

Dental and optometrist visits ensuring healthy teeth and eyes for all children

Some of our childcare centres, including Imagine Childcare and Kindergarten Nerang, offer convenient on-site haircuts for children. These services help families save time and ensure children feel comfortable and relaxed in a familiar environment. It’s just another way we go above and beyond to make life easier for our families while supporting children’s confidence and self-care routines.

Children at Imagine Childcare and Kindergarten Nerang getting their haircut at the centre

These everyday moments support independence, fine motor skills, and healthy habits that will last a lifetime. At Imagine Childcare, Educators support children through gentle guidance, role-modelling, and age-appropriate encouragement. We provide opportunities throughout the day for children to practise and master these self-help skills at their own pace.

Teaching children to care for themselves helps them develop independence and confidence, build fine motor and cognitive skills, understand routines and responsibility, and feel a sense of pride in their achievements.

When children are empowered to take care of themselves, they begin to feel more in control of their world, a key part of emotional development in early childhood education.

At Imagine Childcare, our goal is to create a safe, nurturing environment where children thrive. By embedding hygiene routines and self-care practices into our daily program, we support children in becoming capable, confident, and healthy individuals.

We partner with families to ensure these habits are reinforced at home, creating consistency and routine between the childcare centre and home life.

Follow us on Facebook to see how our Imagine Childcare centres incorporate self-care and hygiene to their daily curriculums.

Imagine Childcare and Kindergarten Smithfield and Imagine Childcare and Kindergarten Melton are opening soon. Follow them on Facebook to receive regular updates on their progress.

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