By Bisola Adeyemo
Educating kids about the cleanliness of the environment is the prime necessity for staying disease-free, the key to good health as well as hygiene.
kids need to take an active part in activities related to cleaning up and take it up as a habit. After all, cleanliness and tidiness are more of a lifestyle than a habit.
The very first step of clean-up should start at home at an early age as it has a good impact on kids and remains with them deeply inculcated in their minds for life.
Children are particularly vulnerable to certain environmental risks, including air pollution; inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene; hazardous chemicals and waste, radiation; climate change; as well as emerging threats like e-waste.
Ideally, it is advisable to instill healthy and hygienic habits in children right from the stage of infancy when they start developing their senses.
However, children should teach how to take Cleanliness as a responsibility which is an important skill that should be inculcated in children.
Environmental risks have an impact on the health and development of children, from conception through childhood and adolescence and also into adulthood.
First of all make the kids understand that responsibilities will come to them as they age, for which the groundwork should be done now. You can then tell them that keeping their own space clean and organized is one of the major responsibilities that they should undertake. They should be taught that when it comes to cleanliness, it not only remains limited to keeping oneself clean and healthy but is also about keeping their surrounding environment tidy.
Teaching cleanliness to kids is one thing but making them adopt it as a habit for a lifetime is another. To make the kids take up cleaning as a part of their daily chores, it is important that they understand its value and practice it on day to day basis and appreciate them for their efforts later. This will help to generate their interest in cleaning as an activity. Praising them for good work will motivate them further to complete any such clean-up tasks assigned to them.
While teaching or educating the child to clean up should also teach them to value the surrounding environment in which they live. The environment determines a child’s future. Adults can make them realize that the locality is not their sole space but is also shared by others in the locality. And the best way to show respect and love towards the environment is by keeping our locality clean and dirt free.
However, keep in mind that children imitate others, especially parents, and thus practice what the parents teach.
A messy environment chokes our life and health. This is why it is essential to teach the children not to litter garbage on the street or wherever they feel like it. They should be taught that throwing garbage on the street or in undesignated areas is a punishable offense as it destroys the environment and serves home to many diseases. Garbage should always be dumped properly and as advised by the government.
Kids should make it a part of their healthy habits and thus maintain the hygiene in their house as well as the surrounding environment. A little push towards this good habit is all that is required.