Implications for practice and research

• Further interventions targeting preschool children can consider delivery methods involving clowns and other entertaining methods.

• The effectiveness of the therapeutic clowning approach should be compared with existing teaching methods.

Context

Handwashing is an effective and convenient practice to prevent many infectious diseases.1 Children, especially preschoolers, will benefit the most from proper handwashing as they are vulnerable to infectious diseases. Traditional educations on handwashing may not effectively engage preschool children. Arıkan and colleagues proposed an entertaining method, that is, using therapeutic clowning, to teach handwashing technique among preschool children.2 They evaluated their proposed therapeutic …