How to Teach Kids to Cough Properly
The proper way to cough is to cover your mouth with your elbow, tissue, or shirt. Seems simple, but when teaching kids how to cough properly, it can take some time before they learn to make a habit out of it.
Key Takeaways
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Kids are more likely to adopt the proper way to cough when they understand why it matters and how coughing on others can make them sick.
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Demonstrating how far droplets can travel, rather than quoting numbers, creates a visual memory that helps children remember to cover their mouths.
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Teaching the proper way to cough as one smooth motion, with the elbow covering the mouth before coughing, makes the habit easier to learn and repeat.
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Some children, including those with special needs or trauma backgrounds, require patience, gentle correction, and individualized approaches when learning how to properly cough.
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Visual cues and short, repeatable phrases like “Elbow first” reinforce the habit and help turn proper coughing into a consistent routine.
Start with the “Why” Kids Can Understand
Most kids do not change a habit because you told them once. They change when the change becomes ingrained in their head.
To do that, it’s best to start with the “why.” Teach them about germs and how they can spread. Then emphasize, “When we cough on people, they can get sick. When we cough the safe way, we help them stay well.”
Keep it short. Ask a question that lets them participate:
“What do you think happens to the wet spray from a cough if we don’t aim it somewhere safe?”
Show How Far a Cough Can Go Without Using Numbers
A child will not remember “six feet.” They will remember “it reached the other chair.”
Try this quick demonstration with what you already have:
Fill a spray bottle with water. Stand where a child might stand when they cough. Spray once into the air at chest height. Then ask them to notice where the droplets landed—on the floor, a table, a chair, someone’s clothing.
Then say, “A real cough does something like that. So we aim it into our elbow, like a shield.”
Showing rather than telling them how far germs travel when they cough helps create a memorable image in their mind, and it makes it easier for them to remember to cover their mouths.
The Proper Way to Cough in One Move
The proper way to cough is easier to learn when you show it as one quick move. Play it out for them slowly. Cover your mouth with your elbow and then cough.
Next, invite the kids to mirror you. Look for kids who cough first before their elbow covers their mouth, and let them know that they should try to hold in their cough until their mouth is covered.
Adjust for Children Who Need a Different Approach
Some children need more time, fewer words, or a different sensory experience. The goal stays the same, but the path changes.
If you’re working with special needs kids, teaching them how to properly cough may take a little more time. In these cases, it’s best to be patient and continually remind them when they forget.
For children who have experienced trauma or instability, correction can feel threatening even when you mean it gently. Take it slow and try not to single them out when correcting them.
Make It Stick with Visual Cues and Routine
A habit forms when the environment reinforces it.
If you can, place a simple picture near the places kids wait of a child coughing into an elbow.
A memorable short phrase can also help and could be written underneath the picture. A simple phrase to use is: “Elbow first.” This can help them remember to always cover their mouth first before coughing.
A Closing Word
When you teach the proper way to cough, you’re doing quiet work that prevents the next infection. Most people will never notice. That does not make it small.
If you want to keep building skills that protect communities, especially when you’re far from home, serving on a short-term mission trip can be a great way to teach kids in underserved communities simple but critical hygiene habits that can have a big impact.
Related Questions
What happens when you don't cover your mouth when you cough?
Germs and droplets land on nearby people and surfaces, which raises the chance of others getting sick.
Does coughing into your shirt help?
Yes, coughing into your shirt can be a good alternative to coughing into your elbow.
How far does a cough travel?
A cough can spread droplets across a room (about six feet).
How do you sneeze in public?
Sneeze into your elbow, shirt, or a tissue.
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