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Introducing Personal Hygiene to Preschoolers 

By Srimayee Agnihotram, Maddison-Iris Wood, Lina Salmi and Aonhawinonnó:ron Stevens

Psychology Department, Dawson College

350-201-DW: Developmental Psychology

Prof Caroline Chochol 

December 8th, 2021 

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Introducing Personal Hygiene to Preschoolers

Children go through many stages of development from early childhood to late

adolescence. Their development is highly dependent on different factors and influences from

their environment. From ages two to five, children are at a stage where they must be taught

certain behaviors and habits in order to not only establish a healthy routine, but to develop their

sense of self as well and understand how to take care of themselves. This is why it is crucial for

children to be taught the importance of good personal hygiene starting at a young age. Aspects of

hygiene that are especially important for children to learn are handwashing, teeth brushing,

showering and face washing. 

The most prominent developmental issues for this age group are mostly linked to the fact

that children do not have a full sense of self yet, and they therefore do not understand

consequences, reasoning and how the world works. An important issue at this age is

egocentrism, as the child does not understand other people’s perspectives and other points of

view. They lack multidimensional concepts and have limited cognitive flexibility (Siegler, 2014).

During this age period, many milestones are overcome, such as the enhancement of mental

imagery and the growing understanding of symbols (Siegler, 2014). Another significant

milestone for this age group is the effort to read and write, as well as to communicate with

others. 

This topic is appropriate for a TV show episode for this particular age group because it is

at this stage that children must be taught healthy habits, how to take care of themselves, as well

as how to establish a routine that they will remember and find comfort in. A TV episode showing

children the importance of hygiene in a fun and entertaining manner is a good way to introduce
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children to important habits such as washing their hands, brushing their teeth, showering and

washing their faces.

Through colourful imagery paired with educative explanations, the TV show educates

children on the importance of cleanliness and personal hygiene while demonstrating the many

ways to incorporate it in a fun way into their daily routine. Through these demonstrations, it

teaches young children how to take independence of their own body and personal hygiene, which

is crucial to their sense of self during the stage of their growth and development. Imagery is

particularly important to the demonstration, as the age group of the intended audience may not

yet know how to read, and at this stage, children are beginning to develop enhanced mental

imagery as well as understanding symbols and shapes. Colourful and striking images are also

integral in maintaining the attention of the audience, as children at this age have a very flexible

and spontaneous attention span. However, the use of brightly coloured letters and words is just as

essential as the imagery, as at this stage in their development, children are also beginning to

make an effort to read and write. Therefore, the voice-over of the words on-screen allows them

to learn to read and recognize the spelling of keywords. The TV show also includes step-by-step

instructions for following personal hygiene habits, which is crucial because this age group starts

to memorize and understand numerical value. Therefore, they understand that step one comes

before step two, and so on. Additionally, television viewing is known to improve engaged

attention in preschoolers, as visual teaching is the most efficient and comprehensible method for

this age group compared to other learning styles. (Lorch et al, 2006)

The TV show aims to teach the audience, children ages 2-5, independence over important

daily tasks related to their personal hygiene. Allowing a child to take control over their own tasks

allows them to feel confident and comfortable in their own capabilities, which is essential to the
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development of successful socialization during this stage of their development. Therefore,

through independence, they develop an enhanced sense of self and socialization. 

References

Siegler, R., DeLoache, J., Eisenberg, N., Saffran, J., Leaper, C. (2014). How Children Develop:

Fourth Edition. Worth Publishers. https://bit.ly/3E6G2LQ

Lorch, E.P., Milich, R., Astrin, C.C., Berthiaume, K.S. (2006). Cognitive Engagement and Story 

Comprehension in Typically Developing Children and Children with ADHD From

Preschool Through Elementary School. Developmental Psychology, 42(6), 1206-1219.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.42.6.1206.supp