Hand washing visual sequence: free printable steps

Who it’s for

Children who are learning to wash their hands on their own, and anyone who loses track of a string of spoken instructions: “Turn the tap on. Now soap. Rub, rub, rub…” The pictures stay up after the words are gone. It works at home, at a classroom sink, at daycare and in group homes.

How to use a hand washing sequence

1. Hang it where the washing happens. At the child’s eye level, beside the sink or on the mirror, not across the room.
2. Do it together first. Stand beside the child, point to each picture, and say one or two words: “Water on.” “Soap.”
3. Count while you scrub. The CDC advises scrubbing for at least 20 seconds, and suggests humming “Happy Birthday” twice to time it. Counting to 20 out loud works too.
4. Point instead of talking. Once the steps are familiar, point to the next picture instead of saying it.
5. Step back a little each week. Stay close, but help less, until a glance at the strip is all it takes.

If one step keeps getting skipped

Most children skip the same step every time: the soap, the scrubbing, or turning the water off. Put your finger on that picture just before they get to it, and notice it when it happens: “Soap! Nice.” Wet hands and rinse use the same picture, because at the sink they look the same; the numbers tell them apart.

When to wash

Page 2 shows six times to wash: before eating, after the toilet, after a sneeze, after playing outside, after touching pets and after messy play. Point to the right one on the way to the sink: “After the toilet. Wash hands.” It answers “Why now?” before anyone has to ask.

What’s on the PDF

The steps

• water on
• wet hands
• soap
• scrub
• rinse
• water off
• dry hands
• clean hands

When to wash

• before I eat
• after the toilet
• after I sneeze
• after outside
• after pets
• after messy play

Printing tips

• Laminate the steps or slide them into a sheet protector. Sinks splash.
• Cut out the two strips and tape one above each sink, at home and at school, so the steps look the same everywhere.
• The strips fit where a full page won’t, like the narrow wall above a classroom sink.
• The potty visual schedule ends with wash hands and dry hands, so the two sheets work as a pair.