When one kid gets sick at school, you know it’s not long before the entire class is sniffling and sneezing. Classrooms are breeding grounds for all sorts of seasonal and contagious illnesses, and oftentimes there’s little a teacher can do to stop it--in fact, most teachers often get caught up in the epidemic.

But there are ways to help prevent the spread of sickness, by teaching the kids new behaviors that help them protect themselves from germs and spreading diseases. From washing hands to wiping down desks, these tricks can help you ensure that your students aren’t spreading illness to each other.

Usually when kids cough or sneeze, they do it right into the palm of their hands. Then, at most, they’ll wipe their hands on their pants and continue on with their day. The germs will live on their hands long enough for them to touch their desks or pass it to their friends. Teach the kids to sneeze or cough into their elbow instead. They’ll be a lot less likely to touch other students and classroom equipment with their elbow than their hands.

Encouraging regular hand washing can go a long way to stopping the spread of germs. Kids have a tendency to forget to wash their hands after they go to the bathroom or before they eat. Not washing hands is one of the major reasons that students spread disease to each other. Keeping a classroom bottle of hand sanitizer is a good idea in case somebody sneezes or coughs into their hands.

Unfortunately, classrooms can get stuffy because of the amount of students inside with very little ventilation, and oftentimes it’s not possible to open up the windows to get a little fresh air. Purchasing a small fan or humidifier for the classroom might be the key to stopping this problem. It will allow for better air quality and circulation.

Kids have a tendency to want to swap their food for more desirable choices. However, something as innocent as trading a pudding cup for a cookie can cause sickness. Food can carry germs from one student to another. If you put the kibosh on trading food, you might significantly cut down on trading germs as well.

Desks are likely to carry the germs of the kids who sat at them all day. If you purchase sanitary wipes for the classroom you can use them in the end-of-day ritual. Before the last bell rings, pass out the sanitary wipes and get each kid to wipe down their desk so that the next day they don’t have to worry about a dirty desk getting them sick.

Michelle Obama has been vocal about ensuring that children get healthy through exercise and healthy eating. By following this initiative, kids will be far less likely to get sick. Of course, as a teacher you can’t force kids to exercise or eat healthier, but you can encourage them through your lessons.

Students that get sick often during the school year are likely going to be absent a lot. Therefore, they will miss essential lessons and fall behind in their studies. It's essential that your students stay healthy so that they can continue to look forward to their bright futures.