Keep germs at bay and children entertained this half-term

To keep young children amused, whilst reminding them of the importance of handwashing,  an ‘Ugly Bugs Activity Pack’ is free to download Worcestershire County Council’s website.

The Ugly Bugs Activity Pack contains a wordsearch, puzzles, and ugly bugs to draw. It’s a great, fun way to help instil healthy habits at a young age.

Washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water often during the day, then drying them properly is one of the best ways to keep you and your family safe from infectious diseases. 

While alcohol or antibacterial hand sanitisers are convenient, what most people don’t know is that they are not an effective protection against the common sickness bug, norovirus.

Councillor Karen May, Worcestershire County Council's cabinet member for health and wellbeing said: “Every now and again we all need a little reminder to keep washing our hands well and frequently. In the busyness of life, it’s easy to walk away from the sink before we have rubbed our hands for at least 20 seconds. Good handwashing is one of the most important steps we can all take to avoid becoming ill and spreading germs to others.

Holidays are always fun family times, but keeping children busy throughout the week can take quite a bit of planning. The games and drawings in our ‘Ugly Bugs Activity Pack’ are a great way to have fun whilst teaching children about good hygiene.”

For tips on great handwashing, please go to the Best Way to Wash Your Hands pages of the NHS website.

You can download the “Ugly Bugs Activity Pack” for children to draw and colour here.

Anyone can also download Handwashing toolkits for Early Years settings and Primary Schools from here too.