Germs are minute organisms that are not visible to the naked eye, yet these may significantly impact everyone’s health. Help children understand the concept of germs and their effect on their bodies with these ten activities.
Let children learn ways to counter the damage that germs bring while having fun.
Great Germs Activities for Preschool
This experiment teaches children that germs can be passed to another person or object through touch. With a science lesson, they will understand that hands can be magnets for these tiny organisms.
Working on the activity will provide a wonderful sensory experience for children. Use different colors of glitter to help children with color recognition skills.
Start this experiment by downloading and printing the activity sheet from the site. Next, mix half a bottle of hand sanitizer and a small bottle of glitter in a bowl using a spoon. Next, explain that the glitter acts as the pretend germs for this activity.
Have the children dip their hands in the bowl. Ensure that their hands are fully coated with the mixture. Let them rub their hands together until dry. Ask the children to press their hands on the handprint part of the activity sheet.
Find out how and where germs can be transferred by asking them to shake hands and touch toys and other objects. Let them observe what happens to the glitter.
For this activity, you will need:
- Printed activity sheet
- Small bottle of hand sanitizer
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Glitters
- Pencil
For more information on this activity, go to TheSoccerMomBlog.com.
This activity is perfect for circle time and requires minimal preparation. Children will understand that germs can be passed on to people even with a limited amount of time.
Passing the sponge will help improve children’s coordination and provides an excellent sensory experience. It also helps with enhancing their attention and alertness.
Prepare the sponge before the activity by sprinkling it with flour or cornstarch. Next, have the children sit in a circle and provide the instructions.
Explain that the sponge should be passed on to the next person beside them as fast as possible without dropping it on the ground. Have them do this continuously for up to sixty seconds.
Next, take the sponge away and ask questions to process information. Ask the children who touched the sponge and how many times they held it. Have them check their hands and see if they have the pretend germs: flour.
For this activity, you will need:
- A sponge
- Flour or cornstarch
For more information on this activity, go to WeAreTeachers.com.
Songs can help children remember how to wash their hands and prevent germs from spreading. The catchy melody and repetitive lines will help with memory and movement.
The song “Tops and Bottoms” is from the familiar tune “Are You Sleeping?” As children sing, they are to follow the lyrics with movements. Doing this will help children improve their attention and follow directions.
Print the song card from the site. Practice the song repeatedly until children become familiar with the tune and the lyrics. If possible, use an instrumental version of the song.
Next, practice the movement and the order they should be done. Show the location of the words in the hands mentioned in the song. Model the action for children to follow. Next, practice the song and movement together.
Finally, let children put what they have learned into action by singing the song while they are washing their hands in the sink.
For this activity, you will need:
- Song cards
- Instrumental version of the song
For more information on this activity, go to EducationOutside.org.
Handwashing is one of the best ways to get rid of germs. This activity helps children understand the importance of regular hand washing in preventing the spread of germs.
This sensory activity visually explains how germs disappear through washing hands. Their fine motor skills will improve as children write and draw on the gloves.
To do this, have children use a water-based marker to draw on their gloves. Let them draw shapes or faces to represent the germs. Once the ink dries, inflate the gloves by blowing in them. Tie the ends of the gloves securely.
Fill a large basin with water and let children use the liquid soap to wash their gloves. Ask children to gently wash the gloves, going in between the fingers and on both sides of the gloves. Allow them to observe what happens to the drawings.
Incorporate the singing of the “Happy Birthday” song twice as a practice for washing their hands in real life.
For this activity, you will need:
- Gloves
- Large basin
- Liquid soap
- Water-based markers
For more information on this activity, go to TeachersMag.com.
This fun activity helps children understand that germs stick on almost anything. Children will work on playdough by kneading and rolling. This will improve their hand muscle strength.
Their hand-eye coordination skills and tripod grip will improve as they use tweezers to transfer the pompoms. Use different colors of play dough to help children with color recognition skills.
The site suggests using homemade playdough for this activity. Head to the site for the recipe. Once the playdough is ready, add several drops of food coloring. Any color will do for this activity. Add a few drops of essential oil.
Next, let the children knead, squeeze, and roll the playdough. Let them use a mini rolling pin to flatten the dough. Have them place several pompoms on the flattened dough and press down, so they will stick.
Let them use the tweezers to pick up each pompom and transfer them into a container.
For this activity, you will need:
- Playdough
- Essential oil
- Food coloring
- Mini rolling pin
- Pompoms
- Tweezers
- Small container
For more information on this activity, go to TheArtKitBlog.com.
Unleash children’s creativity as they make their version of a germ. Let them name their germs and use them to retell stories or as a reminder to always wash their hands. Assembling this craft will help improve their fine motor skills.
This craft will help children understand different shades of colors and color mixing. Children may also name their pet germ and use it for role-playing.
Start with having children apply different shades of green on the back part of the paper plate. Use the paintbrush to spread and blend the colors. Allow the paint to dry. The site suggests using different colors other than green.
Next, glue different sizes of green pompoms on the paper plate. Attach the googly eyes. Cut several pipe cleaners in half and bend them to resemble legs. Use sticky tape to attach these to the unpainted part of the paper plate.
Finally, have children draw details on their pet germ using a black marker.
For this activity, you will need:
- Paper plate
- Paint
- Paintbrush
- Glue
- Scissors
- Pompoms
- Pipe cleaner
- Googly eyes
- Marker
- Sticky tape
For more information on this activity, go to AllKidsNetwork.com.
This craft is a beautiful visual reminder for children to prevent the spread of germs by covering their mouths whenever they cough or sneeze. Cutting, drawing, and pasting tasks in this activity will help improve children’s fine motor skills.
It also teaches good hygiene practices that become habit-forming. With a Science lesson, explain how germs can also be transferred through droplets from coughing or sneezing. Use videos to explain this concept better.
To make the craft, flip the cup upside down. Have children use markers to draw facial features. Ensure that the mouth is open to resemble a coughing person.
Next, cut out paper strips for the hair and attach them to the cup.
Cut two strips of paper for the arms. Cut out two hands and attach these. Glue these under the cup. Attach Velcro on the hand and mouth to enable children to place and take off the hand on the mouth.
Now they can help Katie learn and remember to cover her cough by moving her hand to her mouth.
For this activity, you will need:
- Styrofoam cups
- Construction paper
- Googly eyes
- Marker
- Scissors
- Glue
- Velcro
For more information on this activity, go to SightAndSoundReading.com.
This experiment will show children the effect of dirty hands when touching food.
Children will learn to think like scientists as they formulate a hypothesis, look at variables, observe, and document their findings. These tasks will help children think critically.
Prepare four sanitized jars with lids. Use strips of masking tape and a marker to label each jar.
Cut the two apples in half using a sanitized knife and chopping board. Place one apple slice untouched by the child in the control jar. Have the child touch one without handwashing. Place this in the jar labeled dirty.
Next, have the child wash both hands without supervision and touch the third apple. Place this in the wash without a help jar. Have the child rewash hands, this time supervised for twenty seconds.
Have the child touch the last apple and place it in the last jar. Observe the apples every day for a week or longer. The apple in the dirty jar should develop mold and will show signs of rotting. The apples in the other jars should show various degrees of decay. Point out the differences between these.
For this activity, you will need:
- Apples
- Jars
- Masking tape
- Markers
- Hand soap
- Knife
- Chopping board
For more information on this activity, go to PlaydoughToPlato.com.
This painting idea turns germs into artwork. This activity will help children improve their oral-motor, fine-motor, and color-recognition skills. Children can practice counting the germs or even their arms.
Pour some liquid watercolor into the palette. Dip the paintbrush and add a small amount of paint to the white cardstock. Use the straw to spread the paint.
Blow in different directions to create a multiple-armed germ on the paper for best results.
Repeat this process using a different color. Make as many germs as possible that can fit on the cardstock. Once satisfied with the colors and number of germs, allow the paint to dry.
Cut out circles from white construction paper and stick these on the germs to serve as eyes. Use the marker to add details, such as the pupils and additional arms.
Stick the artwork on colored construction paper to give it a framed look.
For this activity, you will need:
- Liquid watercolor paint
- Paintbrush
- Palette
- Drinking straws
- Cardstock
- Construction paper
- Glue
For more information on this activity, go to SimpleEverydayMom.com.
Reading books about germs helps enrich children’s knowledge of the topic and increases their understanding of how germs can be spread. Retell stories to help children with memory, comprehension, and oral language skills.
One of the books is “Sick Simon” by Dan Krall. The book is about a boy named Simon who unknowingly spreads germs to his whole class from Monday to Thursday.
This makes everyone sick and absent from his long-awaited kickball game on Friday. On his way home, he has a conversation with a group of germs, with the germs explaining how he had become their hero for spreading them.
Simon did not believe them. The germs explained that not washing his hands and not covering his mouth when he sneezed helped spread them to other people. The germs attempted to conspire with him, but Simon decided to take action.
He practices good hygiene and rests. Soon, he feels better.
For this activity, you will need:
- “Sick Simon” book
For more information on this activity, go to HappilyEverElephants.com.
Conclusion
Germs are a relevant and timely topic to discuss in preschool. Children will have awareness and learn about the best practices to prevent the spread of germs with these activities.
Help children explore and understand germs’ impact on people when they multiply and spread through these engaging and fun ways.
Thank you for reading. Come back and check our other activity articles soon.
