Help for Kids Who Struggle with Face Washing

The key to keeping your child's face clean may be a mirror

How many times have you told your child "Go wash your face," only to have him or her proudly return with the same sticky nose and chin and cheeks? If the answer is, "Too many to count," you may want to consider that the reason for your child's inability to save face may not be sloth but sensory integration. Kids with sensory integration problems, particularly those who are under-sensitive to touch, may not be able to feel that there's anything sticking to their faces, even though similar globs of sauce or jam or ketchup would be impossible for you to ignore. Instead of trusting your child to feel what part of his or her face needs to be washed, place a mirror by the sink at an appropriate height for face-watching. When you send your child to wash up, add a reminder to "Look at your face in the mirror and then wash it off." You may be surprised how big a difference this makes in the degree of cleanliness your child can achieve -- be sure to give lots of praise for the extra effort.