Functions and Care of the Hands for Pre-School Level 3

Class: Pre-School Level 3
Term: First Term
Week: 7
Age: 4 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Health Habits
Curriculum Theme: Health Habits
Previous Lesson: Not separately stated in the scheme.
Topic: Functions and Care of the Hands
Subject Matter: Functions and care of the hands.

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• Identify their hands when asked.
• List at least three functions of the hands.
• State one reason why we should care for our hands.

Affective Domain

• Show willingness to wash their hands.
• Appreciate the importance of clean hands.

Psychomotor Domain

• Point to their hands.
• Demonstrate the basic steps of handwashing (wet, soap, rub, rinse, dry).

Social Domain

• Participate in discussions about hand care.
• Sing along to a handwashing song.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 3.
• Early Childhood Care and Education resources.

Instructional Materials

• Chart showing different functions of the hands (e.g., eating, writing, waving, playing).
• Pictures of clean hands and dirty hands.
• Real soap (bar or liquid).
• Water in a basin or access to a tap.
• Small clean towel.
• Posters illustrating handwashing steps.

Rationale for the Lesson

Learning about the functions and care of hands is crucial for 4-year-olds as it helps them understand their body and develop essential hygiene habits. This lesson promotes good health by teaching practical steps to prevent the spread of germs, fostering independence in self-care, and building a foundation for lifelong healthy practices.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can identify some basic body parts like head, eyes, and legs.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Functions and Care of the Hands

What are our hands for?

Our hands help us do many things every day!

• Holding: We hold our toys, books, and pencils.
• Eating: We use our hands to eat food.
• Writing/Drawing: We hold crayons and pencils to write and draw.
• Waving: We wave goodbye or hello.
• Playing: We use our hands to play games and build things.
• Washing: We wash our face and body with our hands.

How to care for our hands

We must keep our hands clean to stay healthy and strong. Dirty hands can carry tiny germs that make us sick.

Steps to wash our hands properly:

1. Wet your hands with clean water.
2. Put some soap on your hands.
3. Rub your hands together very well – front, back, and between your fingers.
4. Rinse your hands with clean water until all the soap is gone.
5. Dry your hands with a clean towel or air dry them.

Also, remember to:

• Keep your fingernails short and clean.
• Avoid putting your dirty hands in your mouth.

Key Words

• Hands – The parts of our body we use to hold, touch, and do many things.
• Wash – To clean with water and soap.
• Clean – Free from dirt and germs.
• Soap – What we use with water to clean our hands.
• Germs – Tiny things we cannot see that can make us sick.

Wash Your Hands Song

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Wash, wash, wash your hands,
Rub them clean and bright.
Front and back and in between,
Wash with all your might.
Wash, wash, wash your hands,
Keep them clean and bright!

Actions: Mimic washing hands (wetting, soaping, rubbing all parts, rinsing, drying) while singing.

Watch and Practise Handwashing

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

• Demonstration
• Guided Practice
• Songs and Rhymes
• Picture Talk
• Question and Answer
• Practical Activity
• Repetition

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engaging/Recalling

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets pupils and leads a short “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” song, emphasizing hands. The teacher then asks, “What part of our body do we use to clap?”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils greet the teacher, sing the song, and clap their hands, responding “Our hands!”

Learning Point: Pupils are engaged and reminded of their hands as a body part.

Step 2: Identifying Hands

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Identification/Observation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher asks pupils to hold up their hands, wiggle their fingers, and count their fingers (up to 10). The teacher uses the chart to show pictures of hands.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils hold up their hands, wiggle fingers, and attempt to count their fingers. They point to hands on the chart.

Learning Point: Pupils identify their hands and recognise them in pictures.

Step 3: Functions of Hands

Time: 6 minutes

Teaching Skill: Discussion/Demonstration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays the chart showing different functions of the hands. The teacher points to each picture (e.g., eating, writing, waving) and asks, “What are these hands doing?” and “What else can our hands do?” The teacher encourages pupils to demonstrate each function.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify the actions in the pictures and demonstrate functions like eating, writing in the air, or waving. They suggest other uses for hands.

Learning Point: Pupils understand that hands have many important uses.

Step 4: Importance of Hand Care

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explaining/Questioning

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shows pictures of clean hands and dirty hands. The teacher explains simply that dirty hands have tiny, invisible germs that can make us sick, especially if we put them in our mouth. “What happens if we eat with dirty hands?”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the pictures and discuss why it’s important to have clean hands, stating that dirty hands make us sick.

Learning Point: Pupils understand that clean hands help us stay healthy.

Step 5: How to Wash Hands (Demonstration)

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Practical Demonstration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher brings out real soap, water, and a towel. The teacher demonstrates the step-by-step process of handwashing (wet, soap, rub, rinse, dry) while explaining each action clearly. The teacher uses the handwashing posters to reinforce the steps.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils watch the teacher’s demonstration carefully, paying attention to each step. They may air-wash their hands along with the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils observe the correct procedure for washing hands.

Step 6: Handwashing Practice and Song

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Singing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads pupils in air-washing their hands, guiding them through each step. The teacher then introduces the “Wash Your Hands Song” and leads pupils in singing it with actions. The teacher plays the video and encourages pupils to watch and mimic.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils air-wash their hands, sing the song with actions, and watch the video, mimicking the actions shown.

Learning Point: Pupils practise handwashing steps and reinforce learning through song and video.

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 4–5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher checks pupils’ understanding through short questions and practical tasks.

1. “Show me your hands.”
2. “What do we use our hands for? (Name one thing)”
3. “Why is it important to wash our hands?”
4. “Show me how you put soap on your hands.”
5. “Show me how you rub your hands together when washing.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally and demonstrate the required skill where appropriate.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 1 minute

Teaching Skill: Summarising

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises pupils for their participation and reminds them to always keep their hands clean, especially before eating and after using the toilet. The teacher leads a final round of the handwashing song.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the reminder and sing the handwashing song one last time.

Learning Point: Pupils are encouraged to practise good hand hygiene daily.

Lesson Keywords

• Hands – The parts of our body we use to hold, touch, and do many things.
• Wash – To clean with water and soap.
• Clean – Free from dirt and germs.
• Soap – What we use with water to clean our hands.
• Germs – Tiny things we cannot see that can make us sick.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils who struggle to identify functions, provide larger pictures with clear actions and offer hand-over-hand guidance for air-washing. Repeat instructions slowly and use more physical prompts.
• Extension: Encourage advanced pupils to name more functions of the hands or explain in simple terms why germs are bad. Ask them to identify other body parts that need regular cleaning.