I must say that my upbringing did not emphasize good dental hygiene. I am working on not making the same mistake with my children. I have not had any problem getting my children to brush their teeth, but if you do, find ways to make taking care of their teeth a whole lot of fun. For example, my oldest daughter loves her lighted toothbrush that blinks for two minutes. I love the fact that it keeps track of the time for me, and Pookie Bear no longer needs me to tell her when she has brushed long enough.
Here are some ideas to jump-start your creativity.
Cut the bottom off of 2 liter coke bottles and spray paint them white. They will look like molars. Put them out in your sand and water table with toothbrushes and shaving cream or real toothpaste to practice brushing. - from Perpetual Preschool
Stormie of Preschool by Stormie offers the following riddle that your little ones will love:
I can still remember how I thought this riddle was so funny when Grandma read it to me as a child. Today's young children can enjoy it too. I've always found that most 4 yr olds have a sense of humor and love little jokes and rhymes.
Define "riddle" to the children (telling someone a rhyme, then they guess what the rhyme means). The answer to the riddle above is "our teeth and gums." Once the children know the answer, they enjoy the rhyme even more, and like acting it out with mouth movements.
From Christena Kaufman, in South Carolina:
Flossing Practice: I made a flossing puppet out of a plastic milk jug: Cut a hole for the mouth, making slits to create teeth. The children then use real floss to practice flossing the puppet's teeth. I added silly yarn hair and big funny eyes so the children really like the puppet itself and are eager to help him learn to "take care of his teeth!"
A list of books about teeth and/or dental health is available at Preschool Education Library while First-school offers Dental Health Coloring Pages.
clip art of tooth brushing itself from fotosearch.com
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