Teach children about brushing their teeth, as it can prevent issues with hygiene, general health and even self-esteem. Children learn through repetition, by example, using show-and-tell and, most importantly, through making the experience fun. Children learn differently at different ages. Preschoolers learn through rhymes and rhythms, kindergarten through third grade learn through presentation and repetition, while fourth grade through sixth grade learn through show and tell, teacher Nick Ramsay notes.
Step 1
Explain to a preschooler that there are little bugs on his teeth. Make up a fun, silly song or chant, such as "brush, brush the bugs away." Set a timer for 1 minute and brush his teeth for him with a back and forth motion. When the timer goes off, clap and excitedly congratulate the child. Set the timer for another minute and allow the child to brush his own teeth. Praise him when the timer goes off.
Step 2
Get your toothbrush and brush your teeth in front of a child of kindergarten to third-grade age. Explain to her what you are doing as you brush your own teeth. Set a timer for 2 minutes for yourself. Once the timer goes off, allow the child to brush her teeth. Reset the the timer for 2 minutes. Congratulate her when she is finished.
Step 3
Be totally forthcoming with children in grades four through six. Show them pictures of what happens to the teeth, gums and mouths of people with poor brushing habits. Then explain to them how to brush effectively and even show them by brushing your own teeth.
Step 4
Brush your teeth properly as a good example for all ages of children. Use a soft-bristled brush and put it on the gum line at a 45-degree angle. Use short strokes as you brush back and forth. Brush the top, inside and outside surfaces of your teeth for at least 2 minutes at least twice daily.
Step 5
Use an apple as an analogy of what cavities can do to your teeth. Explain to the children that bacteria or "bugs" accumulate on our teeth throughout the day. If you don't brush them away, they will eat away at the protective outer covering and can cause a hole. Puncture the apple and let it sit for a couple days. Allow the child to observe it as it turns brown and gets rotten, and explain that the process is similar to what happens when you get a cavity.
Step 6
Use disclosure tablets. After the children brush their teeth, have them chew a disclosure tablet to see what plaque or "bugs" they may have missed --- the ingredients in the tablet will cause the plaque to turn a noticeably darker, easier-to-see color.
Tips and Warnings
- Make sure the experience is fun. Praise every effort children make towards proper oral hygiene. Offer small rewards for their progress.
- Disclosure tablets can stain teeth for a day or more, but not permanently. Brush well to remove all traces of the stain.
Things You'll Need
- Disclosure tablets
- Tooth brushes
