6 Fun Ways to Use SPLATZ™
As adults, we know that one of the best ways to stop the spread of illness is by washing our hands, especially as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. While we can preach to our children how important handwashing is until the cows come home, getting them to establish a regular handwashing routine without a fuss can be a real challenge.
If getting your child to wash their hands feels like pulling teeth, take a deep breath. There are several ways to make handwashing fun for your children—so much so that they’ll actually ask to wash their hands!
It all starts with using SPLATZ, a fun, sensory hand soap that comes in small, squishy, biodegradable bubbles. When kids squeeze the bubbles, they literally SPLAT (burst), dispensing the perfect amount of natural soap into their hands. While using SPATZ is pretty darn fun in and of itself, there are ways to increase the fun level even more.
From where you sit right now, this may seem hard to believe, but trust us—when you use SPLATZ in the following ways, handwashing will become practically irresistible to your little ones.
- Sing a song!
Encourage your kids to sing a song while washing their hands with SPLATZ. Pick a song that’s at least 20 seconds long. A good option is “Wash, Wash, Wash Your Hands” (sung to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” twice):
“Wash, wash, wash your hands,
Got to get them clean.
Every finger one by one,
And lather in between.”
You could also help your kids come up with their own 20-second handwashing tune—perhaps something that incorporates the word SPLAT!
- Use a washable marker
Using a washable marker, draw a smiley face, star, or another shape of their choosing on the backs or palms of their hands. You could even draw a bullseye on which they could SPLAT their bubble of SPLATZ soap. Instruct your child to wash their hands until the washable marker on their hands disappears.
- Use a sticker chart
What kid doesn’t go crazy for stickers?! Hang a sticker chart in the bathroom and/or by the kitchen sink. Every time your child washes their hands with SPLATZ, give them a sticker to place on the chart. Once the chart has 30 stickers, reward them with a small prize, such as a lollipop, trip to the playground, or bouncy ball.
- Wash like “rock, paper, scissors”
Most children are familiar with the game “Rock, Paper, Scissors.” This handwashing technique entails using SPLATZ to wash your rocks (one hand in a fist with other hand rubbing), wash your paper (keeping your hands flat and washing both sides), and wash your scissors (interlocking your fingers and moving them back and forth). Encourage your kids to say the words “rock, paper, scissors” out loud as they move from one step to the next.
- Play hot potato
This game requires at least two children and entails playing hot potato with a SPLATZ ball. Have two or more children stand close together with one holding a SPLATZ ball. As the parent, turn around so that you’re facing away from the children and start repeating the phrase “hot potato.” As you start saying “hot potato,” the children will gently pass the SPLATZ ball between their hands. Whenever you choose, stop saying “hot potato.” Whichever child is holding the SPLATZ ball when you stop speaking is the winner and gets to use the sink to wash their hands first!
- Encourage imagination
There’s no doubt children have wild imaginations, which can be used to your advantage to encourage handwashing. SPLATZ balls are slippery and squishy and could easily become a bug, eyeball, or some other ooey-gooey thing in the imagination of a child. Ask them to make up a story about what the SPLATZ ball is and explain what they’re doing with it as they wash their hands.
Handwashing just became a lot more fun
By using SPLATZ in these fun ways, handwashing is sure to become something that your children look forward to, instead of a dreaded chore. Experiment with these ideas to find which ones your children enjoy the most—and don’t hesitate to put your own unique twists on them!
To learn more about SPLATZ and see it in action, follow @onefunco on Instagram and Facebook.