EMASI Parents Corner: How to Get Your Children to Stop Touching Their Faces
With regards to the Covid-19 epidemic, one of the Ministry of Health’s recommendations is to wash hands often and avoid touching eyes and mouth. However, with some children, touching the face sometimes has become a habit and they may subconsciously do it without knowing.
Here are ways for parents to help their children become aware of touching their faces and protect themselves during the Corona pandemic, with references from the cognitive scientist Denise Cummins, member of the Science Association Psychology in the United States.
Use Positive Reinforcement
Instead of judging or criticizing the child, mentioning the good behaviors he or she is doing can have a positive effect. Parents can encourage their children each time they do not touch their faces by giving them small rewards or compliments.
Point Out When They’re Doing It
Besides giving compliments each time your child did the right thing, parents can point out each time their hand touches their face. When prompted many times, they will develop a reflex to reflect on their actions. This is also an opportunity to sharpen their self-awareness, helping your child to notice what he or she is doing.
Give Them Something Else to Touch
If reminding children not to do something is difficult, parents can start by giving the child something to do with their hands. When there is something to hold, they will be less likely to subconsciously touch their face with their hands.
As explained by Dr. Cummins: “Inhibiting actions is something that requires a fully functioning prefrontal cortex, which is not fully developed until about age 25.”
Explain the Concept of Germs
According to Dr. Sanam Hafeez from Hofstra University, if a child is 3 years old or older, parents can start explaining the concepts of bacteria and how they spread on the face when touched by hands. Explaining helps children understand why they should not touch their face and helps them to remind themselves and adjust their behaviors for positive health protection goals.
Focus on Hand-Washing
Helping your child not to touch his or her face can be a time-consuming work. The important thing parents can do is focusing on healthy habits that are easier to control. “What we probably should be doing is just encouraging young children to wash their hands regularly,” Professor Rebecke explained. “Maybe get some disinfectant lotion or hand sanitizer and regularly put it on their hands. Hand them a Kleenex when they sneeze or have a runny nose.”
Teaching children to wash their hands is important as a parent, regardless of whether there is a pandemic. Parents can also improve their children’s health by giving them nutritious meals, giving them vitamins if advised by a doctor, and encouraging physical activity and adequate sleep.
We hope the above information will be useful for parents. Education is not only about conveying knowledge, but also encouraging children to have good habits to have a healthy body and be physical fit. In the complicated situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, the school and parents work together to help children have a sense of self-protection, in a safe and secure environment.
The content of the article is aggregated from Huffpost.
