My son is 11. Part of the job description of being a pre-teen boy is to be dirty. Almost constantly dirty. When he's home for the summer, it's easy for me to remind him to wash his hands. But school is starting in a few short days and hand washing habits will become even more important.

Henry the Hand is a great site that makes hand washing a fun, simple activity for kids. It promotes some simple principles:

• Wash your hands whenever they're dirty and before eating
• Don't cough or sneeze into your hands
• Don't put dirty fingers near your eyes, nose, or mouth.

You may want to expand on those rules and give specific examples to your child. I made sure to remind my son to wash his hands before lunch and after recess. Last year, my son's school had an assembly about hand washing and they taught the kids to wash their hands for as long as it takes to sing the ABCs. When soap and water isn't handy, alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be helpful, but I wouldn't recommend them for young children.