The winter is upon us, so we need to teach our children to protect themselves from the lurking germs about us. We need to enthusiastically model to them; washing our hands often, educate our children to not touch their eyes, mouth and nose and remind them to cough and sneeze in their shoulder. The Singing Nurse has a special song available to download that makes your job fun and easy.

Your kids will think you are amazing as you dance and incorporate hand motions and a conga line while waving your tissue. Read on to learn more, to read the lyrics, and to learn the history and inspiration behind the health song, “Don’t Spread Your Germs Around”.

PreschoolRadio.com has included the song, “Don’t Spread Your Germs Around” on their most recent Radio Show. PreschoolRadio is a fun podcast formatted show who plays music for children 6 and under and those who love them. You will meet new artist and have access to their websites to purchase their music. My hat is off to Lyn Michaels-Carden, the producer.

Drawing by April Matula, special ed. preschool teacher, artist and illustrator.

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#4 on the TSN CD, To purchase click on Music. Can be used with the hand washing health lesson.

Don’t Spread Your Germs Around

Dawn Ginese, RN  2004

If you think you need to cough

You think you need to cough

If you think you need to cough

(Cough sound into your shoulder) in your shoulder

If you think you need to cough

You think you need to cough

Show me what you’re going to do.

(Cough sound into your shoulder) in your shoulder

Chorus:

Don’t spread, don’t spread, don’t spread your germs around x3

Oh no, don’t spread your germs around

If you think you need to sneeze

You think you need to sneeze

If you think you need to sneeze

(Sneeze sound into your shoulder) in your shoulder

If you think you need to sneeze

You think you need to sneeze

Show me what you’re going to do.

(Sneeze sound into your shoulder) in your shoulder

Chorus:

Inspiration

“Don’t Spread Your Germs Around” has a Latin beat so I had my Puerto Rican friend, Jackie Rosado  sing it. The song helps children learn to cough or sneeze in their shoulder rather than in their hands or in the air. If they happen to forget and do it in their hands Jackie asks the children “what are you going to do?”, and they jubilantly reply “wash your hands”. It’s amazing how kids pick up concepts when you use music and motions. We’ve dressed up in Latin attire for this song and towards the end of the song formed a conga line while someone handed a tissue to each child as they passed by. If you have a smaller group, have them pass by a second time for another tissue so they will have one in each hand. One time we had a child dress up in my Nurses dress and cap and had her hand out the tissues.

To purchase click on Music.

3 Free Christmas songs are available until the end of 2009, add them to your library today ready for next Christmas!(update: The Christmas songs will be back again@ the end of 2010)