Download resource

Please enter your details to download this resource
Login
 

Enter your details to access this video

Or if you already have an account login to watch the video (if you don't you can register here).
Login
washing hands
Author: Karen Wilson, SEND Specialist
Email share link LinkedIn share link Twitter share link Facebook share link
Approximate reading time: 1 minute

Hygiene is not only an essential topic for all learners, but one that can be made practical, visual, and repetitive, too - which is great for learners with additional needs. Teaching hygiene isn’t just a health topic; it builds essential life skills. When young people learn routines like washing hands and brushing teeth, they are developing independence, self-care, and personal responsibility as they move towards independent adulthood.

Tip or Idea: Introduce core words such as soap, clean, and germs and then move to structured sentence stems like “I was my hands”. This supports language development, comprehension, and confidence whilst keeping instructions clear and accessible for all learners. Actions, chants, and routine visuals help to keep learning lively, memorable, and accessible.

Learning Village resource: Our Hygiene resource offers a wide range of activities to support your learners. Why not print the handwashing visual and display it by your sinks as a regular reminder?

Email share link LinkedIn share link Twitter share link Facebook share link

More articles by this author

A library section with non-fiction books

SEND support: Non-fiction texts

Created: Thu 3rd Jul 2025

As well as being interesting and engaging, non-fiction texts help to develop learners’ academic vocabulary and support learning across the curriculum. Learners can use non-fiction texts to develop knowledge, retrieval, and comprehension skills, and this can be developed even further with higher level skills such as analysis and evaluation. Learners with SEND may find the bite-sized facts, clear sections and subheadings, and accompanying diagrams or illustrations in non-fiction texts less overwhelming than a longer narrative text.

SEND Support: Listening to and giving instructions - Prepositions

Created: Mon 13th Nov 2023

Learners having difficulty with receptive language or following directions may need support with learning propositions.

Tip or Idea: Ask your learner to draw or make an imaginary scene by following instructions e.g. Draw a house at the bottom of your page/Draw a sunshine above the house/Draw a tree next to the house. Extend this further: Can your learner tell you what to draw? Can they make a crazy or funny picture? Can they make a scene with physical objects?

SEND pupil listening

SEND support: Listening skills

Created: Thu 29th Jan 2026

Listening is an essential skill for learning and understanding, building relationships, communicating effectively, and developing independence. However, for some learners - including those with additional needs such as ADHD, autism, hearing impairments, or language processing difficulties - listening can be challenging. We can support learners in a range of ways, including using simplified instructions, visual supports, repetition, and reducing distractions in our learning environments.

Back to Blog