Encouraging Hygiene Habits in Children
The Big Problem
Their hands are still sticky from this morning’s orange juice spill. Their hair hasn’t seen a brush. Their shirt is inside out—and they’re already halfway out the door. You glance at your six-year-old and think, “I can’t let them leave the house looking like that!” Not because it’s about appearances, but because you’ve spent so many mornings trying to build these routines with care—and moments like this remind you that some habits just take time to stick.
Convincing a child to care about hygiene rarely comes down to what they’ve learned. It’s about what sticks in the moment. Smelly armpits? Not on their radar. Skipping toothpaste? Barely noticed. What feels urgent to adults barely registers in a world built around play, snacks, and the hunt for missing lunch containers. Traditional methods like chore charts, reminders, or small rewards help some families, but often lose steam once the novelty wears off or interest fades.
In lower-resource households, the barriers are steeper. Supplies might run low. Caregivers might juggle competing demands. This is where behavioral science principles can offer promising alternatives: peer modeling that taps into kids’ desire to fit in, immediate rewards that create momentum, and identity cues that build leadership. When these tools are implemented with intention, they make hygiene habits easier to start and harder to forget.
About the Author
Maryam Sorkhou
Maryam holds an Honours BSc in Psychology from the University of Toronto and is currently completing her PhD in Medical Science at the same institution. She studies how sex and gender interact with mental health and substance use, using neurobiological and behavioural approaches. Passionate about blending neuroscience, psychology, and public health, she works toward solutions that center marginalized populations and elevate voices that are often left out of mainstream science.
