What are germs?

Germs and sickness can be spread by people, especially when they do not wash their hands
Handwashing helps cut down on germs and illness (getting sick)
It is important to wash hands after using the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose

Suggested books

“The Magic School Bus - Inside Ralphie: A Book of Germs” by Joanna Cole
“Germs! Germs! Germs!” by Bobbi Katz
“Germs Make Me Sick!” by Melvin Berger

Games & Activities

Achooo painting

Talk about how germs and how they spread. Now place the paper on the table or floor and allow the children to spray the paper with the colored water. You can also let the youngsters spray their hands and touch the paper to see what happens to the 
"germs" when they don't wash them off their hands.

I think germs are...

Have children create/draw a picture of a bad germ. Ask them to describe it. Take notes of what they say.

Bless you!

Get some paper plates. Invite children to draw a face on a paper plate. Then ask children to trace and cut out one hand. Children can glue a tissue over the “nose”, held by the “hand” glued on

Songs & Fingerplays

Germs everywhere

 Big germs, small germs,

Big germs, small germs,

They are here, everywhere.

When we cough or sneeze,

Use your elbow please.

Germs, germs, germs.

 Germs, germs, germs

More ideas

Real germs

Bring in a real microscope, if you can locate one, to magnify and look at germs. Also – bring in a black light (or black light bulb) to illustrate how some things are only visible under certain types of light; Look at fingerprints with a magnifying glass.

Germs pretending