In Andhra Pradesh Village, Hygiene Play Park Is Promoting Behaviour Change Among Children

Dettol Hygiene Play Park is a designated space designed for children to engage in various play experiences through its hygiene themed simple and fun games. The vision of the park is to create a child-friendly, inclusive safe space for children to engage in simple and fun games and reinforce critical preventive hygiene messages.

With 'hygiene' as its core theme, the play park has been created for children of all age groups and uses environment-friendly materials like rope, wood and non-toxic paint.

The Hygiene Play Park has four key components - hygiene games; hygiene essentials; free play games; STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Junction - a designated and guided space equipped with materials for children to experiment and create hygiene solutions and new things.

Hygiene games promote and reinforce hygiene messages while keeping the fun and joy of playing a game. A spin has been given to traditional games like hopscotch wherein you have to follow the stages for personal hygiene and toilet habits. The twister game too got a hygiene switch; children have to use body parts to touch the matching hygiene items - all at once. There is also a handwash maze.

As part of hygiene essentials, handwashing and sanitiser stations have been installed with key steps to follow while washing hands with soap or using a hand sanitiser.

Talking to NDTV about the importance of educating children about hygiene, Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Founder, Chairman of Apollo Hospitals Group said, 'It is very vital that every individual understands the importance of hygiene and health. Good hygiene leads to better health. Teaching children about good hygiene and health from early childhood will make a significant impact as they grow up. Two-thirds of paediatric health problems like diarrhoea and pneumonia can be eradicated by handwashing.'