Interactive health-hygiene education for early years: the creation and evaluation of learning resources to improve understanding of handwashing practice.

This study reports the findings of a mixed method research study (qualitative and quantitative) on the effectiveness of specifically developed learning resources and workshops on handwashing for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in the UK. The A Germ’s Journey educational resources were developed to aid both young children’s understanding and engagement with microbiology and hand-hygiene, currently there are limited learning resources that teach young children about the cause and effect of germs. The methods used to evaluate the resources in this study include: questionnaires (completed by parents and teachers), observations of the children during the workshops using the resources, and follow-up interviews with teachers. The data was collected in six individual case studies (three in inner-city locations and three in rural locations) consisting of EYFS classes in primary schools and nurseries. Results found that the developed learning resources were successful in aiding children in EYFS’s knowledge of germs and related health issues (80-100% (p < 0.05) of parents and teachers strongly agreeing/agreeing), with teachers reporting that they had seen an increased understanding in their pupils since participating in the workshops