Wash face and hands
The water hits the face suddenly, the temperature jumps and the smell of soap lingers in the nose long afterwards. The steps below make the order clear, right through to using the towel properly.
♂Boy washing his face
A boy splashes water over his face with both hands.
About this visual support
What makes washing the face hard is rarely the washing itself but the surprises. The tap runs cold first and then too hot, water finds its way up a sleeve, and soap smells much stronger on wet hands than in the bottle. What remains is a damp feeling around the chin that keeps nagging until the face is properly dry.
Visual support removes the element of surprise by fixing an order that looks the same every time: adjust the tap, wet the hands, spread the soap, rinse the face, and use the towel last. Children who are sensitive to temperature and to wet clothing can prepare for each step before it happens, which is often enough for the resistance to drop.
A concrete tip: set the water temperature before the child reaches the basin, and keep the towel within arm's reach so the wet moment stays short. In Routined you can connect washing to the rest of the morning or the evening, and test the app for 14 days at no cost.
Use this image in a schedule
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