Brushing, Washing, Sleeping: Building Healthy Habits Every Day
Every superhero has a secret power - and one of yours might be brushing your teeth! Your mouth can hold millions of tiny germs, which is why brushing twice a day is like sending your teeth their own tiny army. Let's learn four habits that keep YOUR body strong every single day.
What You'll Learn
- Name four daily habits that keep your body healthy. - Show the right way to wash your hands for 20 seconds. - Explain why your body needs sleep every night. - Pick colorful foods that give your body different vitamins.
Brushing: Two Times a Day, Two Minutes Each
Brush your teeth two times every day - once in the morning and once before bed - for about two minutes each time. Brushing scrubs away tiny bits of food that "sugar bugs" (germs) love to eat, which is what causes cavities. Try humming your favorite song while you brush to make sure you brush long enough on every tooth, not just the front ones!
Washing Hands: The 20-Second Rule
Wash your hands before you eat, after you use the bathroom, and after you play outside or pet an animal. Scrub with soap for about 20 seconds - roughly as long as singing "Happy Birthday" two times through - and don't forget your thumbs and between your fingers! This washes away germs that can make you catch a cold or an upset stomach.
Sleep: Charging Your Body's Battery
Kids your age need about 10 to 11 hours of sleep every single night. While you sleep, your brain sorts through everything you learned that day and tucks it into memory, and your body releases special hormones that help you grow taller and stronger. Think of sleep like plugging your body in to charge overnight, just like a tablet or a video game controller.
Eating: A Rainbow on Your Plate
Eating foods of different colors gives your body different kinds of vitamins - that's why a colorful plate is a healthy plate! Orange carrots have vitamin A, which helps your eyes see well at night. Red strawberries and green broccoli have vitamin C, which helps your body fight off germs. Try to eat at least three different colors at lunch and dinner.
Next time you wash your hands, hum the Happy Birthday song two times all the way through while you scrub with soap - front, back, and between your fingers. That's about 20 seconds, just long enough to wash away the germs that make you sneezy or sick.
Match each healthy habit to why it matters.
Terms
Definitions
Drag terms onto their definitions, or click a term then click a definition to match.
About how many hours of sleep does a K-2 kid need each night?
Why do doctors say to wash your hands for 20 seconds instead of just a quick rinse?
Make a Healthy Habits Tracker
Draw a chart with 7 rows (one for each day this week) and 3 columns: "Brushed 2x", "Washed Hands Often", and "Slept on Time". Each day, draw a star or sticker in the box for every habit you completed. At the end of the week, count your stars and share with a grown-up which habit was easiest and which was hardest to remember.
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