Hygiene (3-5 Years)

Learning

The aim of this session is for children to:

• name and describe the ‘get ready to cook’ steps;
• explain that it is important to get ready to cook so the food we prepare is safe to eat.

You will need

• Get ready to cook presentation
• Get ready to cook game
• Get ready to cook ticklist
• Get ready to cook cards – cut out and display (laminating optional).

Before session preparation

Prepare the Get ready to cook game. Print or back the game onto thin card. Cut out the arrow, pierce the centre of the circular end with a split pin, and then push the split pin through the small black circle in the middle of the board. 

You may wish to laminate your copies of the Get ready to cook ticklist so they can be used with board pens and then wiped clean for reuse.

Listen and respond

Ask the children what they think they would need to do before they cook. Read the Get ready to cook presentation to the children.  This can be shown as a presentation or printed and used as a book or display. Question the children about getting ready to cook using the questions in the presentation. Explain that we need to follow these steps to make sure we are ready to cook, and that the food we prepare is safe to eat. 

Have a go

Ask for a volunteer to show everyone how to get ready to cook. You may agree this with a child in advance; they could put on a long sleeve top, wrist bands or a watch and leave long hair down, to make the demonstration more effective. Ask the other children what this child must do to be ready to cook. Can they remember what was in the Get ready to cook presentation?  Get the child to do one thing at a time and talk about why it needs to be done before we start cooking. We need to:

• remove any jewellery - so it does not fall into the food;
• tie back long hair – so it does not fall into the food and you do not need to touch it while you are cooking (e.g. if it fell in your eyes);
• roll up long sleeves – so they do not dangle in the food and to keep them clean;
• put on an apron – to keep anything on clothing (e.g. animal hair, lint, dirt) from falling onto the food, as well as to protect clothes while cooking;
• wash and dry hands carefully – to make sure they are clean to keep the food safe to eat.

You could display the Get ready to cook cards to help the children remember what they need to do before they cook.

Consolidate

Play the Get ready to cook game with four to six children. Each child will need a copy of the Get ready to cook ticklist.  The aim is for the children to help Alisha or Ronnie get ready to cook by collecting all the getting ready to cook steps. The children should take it in turns to spin the arrow.  If it lands on a getting ready to cook step, e.g. washing hands, they can tick/colour this on their tick sheet. The first person to tick off all the stages, wins.

Reviewed August 2024