Social Studies
Keeping Clean and Healthy
Keeping clean and healthy
Wash your hands, brush your teeth, bath every day, eat good food and sleep well so your body stays strong.
A healthy you
A healthy child can run, play, learn and laugh.
To stay healthy, we keep our bodies clean. We eat good food. We sleep well.
This book shows you how.
How do you feel when you are healthy?
2 / 34
Germs
Germs are tiny living things. They are too small to see.
Germs live on dirty hands, dirty food and dirty water.
If germs get inside you, they can make you ill.
So we keep germs away by keeping clean!
3 / 34
Wash your hands
Your hands touch everything. The floor, the door, the ball, your nose.
So your hands pick up germs.
Washing your hands with soap and water takes the germs away.
When did you last wash your hands?
4 / 34
When to wash
Wash your hands:
Before you eat.
After you use the toilet.
After you play outside.
After you touch an animal.
When you come home from school.
Can you think of one more time to wash your hands?
5 / 34
How to wash
Wet your hands. Rub on soap. Rub the front, the back and between the fingers.
Sing a little song while you rub. Rub until the song ends.
Then rinse with clean water. Dry with a clean cloth.
Do you know a song that takes twenty seconds?
6 / 34
The Veronica bucket
At school, there is a bucket with a small tap. We call it a Veronica bucket.
Open the tap. Wash your hands. Close the tap.
The water falls into a basin below. Clever!
Is there a Veronica bucket at your school?
7 / 34
Soap
Water alone is not enough. We need soap.
Soap makes bubbles. The bubbles grab the germs and the dirt. Then the water washes them away.
Bar soap, liquid soap, key soap. Any soap is good.
What colour is the soap at your house?
8 / 34
Brush your teeth
Your teeth help you chew. You need them every day.
Bits of food stick to your teeth. Germs eat the food and make holes in your teeth.
A toothbrush and toothpaste clean the food away.
Show your teeth. Are they clean?
9 / 34
How to brush
Put a little toothpaste on the brush. The size of a pea.
Brush the front teeth. Brush the back teeth. Brush the top and the bottom.
Brush gently, round and round. Brush your tongue too.
Spit out the foam. Rinse with a cup of water.
10 / 34
Morning and night
Brush your teeth two times a day.
Once in the morning, after breakfast.
Once at night, before bed.
At night, do not eat after you brush. Let your teeth stay clean while you sleep.
Did you brush this morning?
11 / 34
Sweets and teeth
Sweets, toffees and fizzy drinks are full of sugar.
Sugar feeds the germs on your teeth. Too much sugar makes holes in your teeth. Holes hurt!
Eat fruit instead. Drink water instead.
What is your favourite fruit?
12 / 34
Bath time
Your body gets sweaty and dusty every day.
A bath washes the sweat and dust away. It keeps your skin fresh and your smell nice.
Use water and soap. Wash from head to toe.
Do you bath in the morning or in the evening?
13 / 34
Wash everywhere
When you bath, do not forget:
Behind your ears. Under your arms. Your neck. Between your toes.
Rinse off all the soap. Then dry with your own towel.
Put on clean clothes.
Which part do you forget to wash?
14 / 34
Clean clothes
Dirty clothes smell. Dirty clothes carry germs.
Wear clean pants and a clean shirt every day.
Keep your school uniform neat. Hang it up after school so it stays clean.
Who washes your clothes at home? Can you help?
15 / 34
Hair and nails
Comb your hair every morning. Wash it once a week with shampoo or soap.
Keep your nails short. Dirt hides under long nails.
Ask an adult to cut your nails when they grow.
Are your nails short and clean today?
16 / 34
Good food: fruit
Good food makes you strong.
Fruit is good food. Banana, orange, mango, pawpaw, pineapple, watermelon.
Fruit has vitamins. Vitamins help your body fight germs.
Wash fruit before you eat it. Which fruit did you eat today?
17 / 34
Good food: vegetables
Vegetables are good food too.
Kontomire, garden eggs, okro, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage.
Mama puts vegetables in the soup and the stew. Eat them all up!
Which vegetable do you like best?
18 / 34
Food for energy
Some food gives you energy to run and play.
Kenkey, banku, rice, yam, plantain, bread.
Some food helps you grow. Fish, eggs, beans, groundnuts, meat.
A good plate has a little of each.
What was on your plate at lunch?
19 / 34
Drink water
Your body needs water every day.
Drink clean water when you wake up, at school, and after play.
Water is better than fizzy drinks. It has no sugar.
Carry a water bottle to school. Is yours full?
20 / 34
Not too many sweets
Sweets and biscuits taste nice. But they are not good food.
Too many sweets can hurt your teeth and your tummy.
A sweet is a treat. Have one sometimes, not every day.
What is a healthy snack you could eat instead?
21 / 34
Sleep
Your body grows and gets strong while you sleep.
A child your age needs to sleep for about ten hours every night.
Go to bed early. Wake up fresh and ready to learn!
What time do you go to bed?
22 / 34
Bedtime
Do the same things every night before bed.
Bath. Brush your teeth. Put on clean night clothes. Say goodnight.
Then lie down and close your eyes.
A quiet bedtime helps you fall asleep fast.
What do you do before bed?
23 / 34
Sleep under a net
Mosquitoes bite at night. A mosquito bite can give you malaria.
Malaria makes you very hot and very weak.
Sleep under a mosquito net every night. Tuck it in all round the bed.
Do you have a net over your bed?
24 / 34
Play and move
Running, jumping, skipping and playing ball make your body strong.
Play outside every day. Ampe, football, hide and seek.
Moving makes your heart happy and helps you sleep well.
What is your favourite game to play?
25 / 34
A clean home
Germs like a dirty home.
Sweep the floor. Throw rubbish in the bin. Keep food covered so flies stay away.
Wash plates and cups after eating.
How do you help to keep your home clean?
26 / 34
The toilet
Always use the toilet. Never go in the bush or the gutter.
After the toilet, wash your hands with soap. Every single time.
Germs from the toilet are the worst kind.
Is there soap near your toilet?
27 / 34
Cough and sneeze
When you cough or sneeze, germs fly out of your mouth.
Cover your mouth with your elbow, not your hand.
Then the germs do not go onto your hands or onto your friends.
Show how you cover a sneeze!
28 / 34
When you are ill
Sometimes you still get ill. You feel hot. Your tummy hurts. You feel weak.
Tell an adult straight away. Mama, Papa, Auntie or your teacher.
They may take you to the clinic. The nurse will help you get better.
Who do you tell when you feel ill?
29 / 34
Help others
You can help your family stay healthy too.
Remind your little brother to wash his hands. Share your water. Cover the food.
A healthy family is a happy family.
Who could you remind to wash their hands today?
30 / 34
Clean and healthy
Wash your hands. Brush your teeth. Bath every day.
Eat fruit, vegetables and good food. Drink water. Sleep under a net.
Play every day.
That is how you stay clean and healthy. Well done!
31 / 34
Learn more
- World Hand Hygiene Day, WHO — why washing hands saves lives
- Healthy teeth and gums, NHS — how to brush well and care for children's teeth
- Ghana Health Service — health news and advice for families in Ghana
- Ministry of Health, Ghana — health information from the government of Ghana
- UNICEF Ghana — how children in Ghana are kept healthy
32 / 34
Watch more
33 / 34
Think about it
- Name three times when you should wash your hands.
- How many times a day should you brush your teeth?
- Why do we sleep under a mosquito net?
- Name two fruits and two vegetables you can eat.
- What should you do when you cough or sneeze?
- Who do you tell when you feel ill?
34 / 34
This book is for reading on SchoolSpec and cannot be printed.