How to Make Dental Health Fun for Your Kids
Incorporate fun activities when kids brush their teeth., Motivate your kids to stick to healthy dental habits., Use a reward system to encourage good dental health., Explain the importance of healthy teeth., Help your child understand dental hygiene...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Incorporate fun activities when kids brush their teeth.
Kids will be more motivated to complete their brushing and flossing if they find it enjoyable.
You can turn tooth brushing into a game — for example, brush with your kids and see who can build up bubbles with the toothpaste.You can also make brushing more fun for your kids by playing a song in the background while they brush their teeth.
It could be their favorite tune from a kid’s show or a cartoon.
You and your kids can also make up a little dance as you go along. -
Step 2: Motivate your kids to stick to healthy dental habits.
You can use a star chart to remind your kids to brush and floss their teeth every day.
This will help your children feel like they are being rewarded for dental hygiene, and they are less likely to view brushing and flossing as a chore.If you use a star chart, arrange a graph with your children’s names on the top and the days of the month listed down the side.
Put a star under your children’s name for every day that they brush at least twice and floss once.
To engage your kids more, let the kids put a sticker by their own name once they’ve finished their dental hygiene for the day.
The star chart may be too complex for very young children, and older children may find the chart immature.
This system will be most effective when kids are between three and eight years old.This method can be especially effective if you have multiple kids, as they may compete to get the most stars. , Rather than criticizing or punishing your children when they fail to brush and floss regularly, reward your children for brushing two times a day, for two minutes each time, and for flossing daily.
Keep track each week — then, at the end of each week in which your child has consistently brushed and flossed, give the child a treat.
The reward should not be soda or candy, for obvious reasons.
Reward ideas include:
Give children a healthy snack.
Allow children to stay up 20 minutes past their bedtime.
Allow children to pick a fun daytime activity for the family.
Buy children a small toy or book from a local store. , Ask your kids about the ways that we keep our bodies healthy: answers will include sleeping, running, eating vegetables, and bathing.
Then explain that brushing and flossing teeth is just as important.Explain them how important it is to have healthy teeth and give them examples of negative situations that others had when didn't brush (such as having to go to the dentist and get a cavity filled).
Putting this in terms that your kids understand will impress upon them the importance of daily dental hygiene. , Activity sheets are a fun, visual-based resource which present material to kids in an easy-to-understand manner.Post a few activity sheets in your child’s bathroom; this will visually remind them about fun and important aspects of dental health.
Activity sheets can be found online with a quick search and are also available at most children’s bookstores.
Find activity sheets that teach your children about:
How to brush their teeth.
How to floss their teeth.
What cavities are and how to avoid them.
When they can expect to lose their baby teeth.
The importance of keeping permanent teeth healthy. -
Step 3: Use a reward system to encourage good dental health.
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Step 4: Explain the importance of healthy teeth.
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Step 5: Help your child understand dental hygiene with activity sheets.
Detailed Guide
Kids will be more motivated to complete their brushing and flossing if they find it enjoyable.
You can turn tooth brushing into a game — for example, brush with your kids and see who can build up bubbles with the toothpaste.You can also make brushing more fun for your kids by playing a song in the background while they brush their teeth.
It could be their favorite tune from a kid’s show or a cartoon.
You and your kids can also make up a little dance as you go along.
You can use a star chart to remind your kids to brush and floss their teeth every day.
This will help your children feel like they are being rewarded for dental hygiene, and they are less likely to view brushing and flossing as a chore.If you use a star chart, arrange a graph with your children’s names on the top and the days of the month listed down the side.
Put a star under your children’s name for every day that they brush at least twice and floss once.
To engage your kids more, let the kids put a sticker by their own name once they’ve finished their dental hygiene for the day.
The star chart may be too complex for very young children, and older children may find the chart immature.
This system will be most effective when kids are between three and eight years old.This method can be especially effective if you have multiple kids, as they may compete to get the most stars. , Rather than criticizing or punishing your children when they fail to brush and floss regularly, reward your children for brushing two times a day, for two minutes each time, and for flossing daily.
Keep track each week — then, at the end of each week in which your child has consistently brushed and flossed, give the child a treat.
The reward should not be soda or candy, for obvious reasons.
Reward ideas include:
Give children a healthy snack.
Allow children to stay up 20 minutes past their bedtime.
Allow children to pick a fun daytime activity for the family.
Buy children a small toy or book from a local store. , Ask your kids about the ways that we keep our bodies healthy: answers will include sleeping, running, eating vegetables, and bathing.
Then explain that brushing and flossing teeth is just as important.Explain them how important it is to have healthy teeth and give them examples of negative situations that others had when didn't brush (such as having to go to the dentist and get a cavity filled).
Putting this in terms that your kids understand will impress upon them the importance of daily dental hygiene. , Activity sheets are a fun, visual-based resource which present material to kids in an easy-to-understand manner.Post a few activity sheets in your child’s bathroom; this will visually remind them about fun and important aspects of dental health.
Activity sheets can be found online with a quick search and are also available at most children’s bookstores.
Find activity sheets that teach your children about:
How to brush their teeth.
How to floss their teeth.
What cavities are and how to avoid them.
When they can expect to lose their baby teeth.
The importance of keeping permanent teeth healthy.
About the Author
Catherine James
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in organization and beyond.
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