The educator supports children’s growing independence in self-care. They help children to understand and build habits which promote their:

• health (including food and drink, physical activity and rest, and screen time)
• hygiene (including toileting, handwashing and oral hygiene)
• safety (including sun and road safety).

Promoting Self-care can improve children’s knowledge, attitudes, and some self-care habits. This includes toothbrushing, handwashing and physical activity.

Based on the evidence, this approach may be more effective when educators:

• encourage children to practise self-care habits regularly, consistently and as part of everyday routines
• involve parents and staff from the wider team (e.g. kitchen staff) to ensure a consistent approach
• motivate children using creative methods (such as role play, active play, music, puppets and stories)
• demonstrate and break tasks down into steps that children can follow
• ensure that resources and facilities (e.g. soap dispensers, paper towels) are accessible.

Promoting self-care is an important part of everyday practice in early years settings. However, children’s long-term outcomes in this area can be influenced by various factors. This is why it is important that educators continue to closely monitor children’s self-care and their wellbeing.

Educators can deliver this approach alongside others, as it is usually one part of a broader programme.

In the evidence we found, programmes usually focused on either health, hygiene or safety. We have summarised the findings for each category below:

1. Healthy habits

There is promising evidence that promoting healthy habits can:

• improve children’s knowledge of healthy eating and drinking
• support their willingness to try new food
• increase children’s levels of physical activity.

Educators should involve parents and carers when promoting healthy habits. Evidence indicates this may be an important factor in changing children’s eating and drinking habits. In these studies, parents were sometimes invited to attend workshops. However, support was mainly provided by sharing information, tips or tasks.

Fewer studies focused on how this might impact children’s sleep and screen time. Given the mixed findings from these studies, more evidence is needed.

2. Hygiene habits

There is promising evidence that promoting hygiene habits can:

• improve children’s knowledge and attitudes towards handwashing
• help children wash their hands more effectively (for example, using soap or cleaning all areas of their hands)
• develop children’s ability to use the toilet or potty independently
• support children’s knowledge of good dental hygiene
• help children to brush their teeth often and more effectively.

3. Supporting safety

Supporting safety habits includes road, sun, general and home safety. A small, promising base of evidence indicates this can improve children’s knowledge of safety habits and risks. However, this did not always mean children applied the habits they learnt in real-life contexts. Therefore, educators should encourage children to keep practising what they have learned.

Most studies describe the activities that educators use to promote self-care, rather than their role in detail. For example, educators discussed self-care habits with children. Or they participated in self-care routines alongside them.

However, some studies identify specific activities and practices that are likely to make this approach effective. On this basis, we recommend that educators use games or creative activities to promote self-care. In addition, practices that are likely to make the approach effective include:

• Breaking tasks down: breaking a task into smaller steps that children can follow. For example, the educator provides a step-by-step demonstration of effective handwashing
• Encouraging practice: ensuring that children have opportunities to practise what they have learned. For example, the educator encourages children to practise crossing the road safely during role-play.

Other practices that we found in the evidence include:

• Explaining and showing: providing extra information to support children’s understanding. For example, the educator adds pepper into a bowl of water to represent germs. They say, ​‘Let’s pretend the pepper is germs. Notice what the germs do when I don’t have any soap on my finger. They are sticking to me! But when I use soap, the ​“germs” jump away! Using soap helps to keep the germs off our hands’
• Providing prompts or cues: using verbal or physical cues to remind children of relevant information. For example, the educator uses a ​‘toothbrushing’ song to remind children it is time to brush their teeth, and how to brush them well.

Educators should integrate opportunities to promote self-care into their everyday practice. Evidence indicates this could make the approach more impactful.