Did you know that February is National Children’s Dental Health Month?! Which makes it the perfect time to teach our kiddos about those bright, pearly whites.
But who wants to sit around learning about teeth? Especially when anything “dentist” is scary for kids – and adults!
But never fear, learning about dental health really is all fun and games with these 6 activities.
Lego Flossing
Teaching our kids to floss at a young age is super duper important because it’s not an easy habit to start. In fact, only 30% of adults floss daily.
But with legos, yarn, and playdough, flossing just became fun! In this activity, legos (those large plastic ones are best) will be our teeth, the yarn is floss, and the playdough is plaque.
Squeeze the play dough between the lego “teeth” and have your kiddo use the yarn to floss it out. Make sure they get in all the nooks and crannies; plaque loves to play hide-n-seek!
Egg Carton Brushing
Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease with the biggest villain being...
SUGAR!
But with Egg Carton Brushing, your kiddos will learn to spot those sugary food and drinks. You’ll need:
- Styrofoam egg cartons or disposable white ice trays
- Dry erase markers
- Permanent markers
- Various foods and drinks
- Eraser, napkin, or hand towel
Separate a variety of both healthy and sugary snacks into two groups. When you snag a healthy snack, let your kiddo color a “tooth” with a dry erase marker. And for anything sugary, sticky, and sweet, grab that permanent marker. Once all your teeth are colored in, take an eraser and “brush” that plaque away.
As it turns out, sugary junk doesn't brush off as easily as healthy snacks!
Calcium Tooth Collage
If there's one thing our teeth love more than a good brushing, it’s its favorite pal calcium! Calcium protects and strengthens our teeth against tooth decay. So to teach our little ones how to choose teeth-strengthening foods, create a Calcium Tooth Collage.
First, draw an image of a giant tooth. Next, we’ll fill it in with all the foods high in calcium. You can have your kiddo draw, color, or even cut out magazines. Here are some foods that are high in calcium to add to your tooth collage:
- Cheese
- Low-sugar yogurt
- Beans
- Almonds
- Leafy greens
- Milk
Soda Eggs
Another important topic to cover this Dental Health month is teeth staining. Liquids that are high in sugar, dyes, and acid are notorious for staining our pearly whites. And we can learn about what those are through this Soda Egg Activity. You’ll need:
- Soda and other drinks such as juice, tea, and sports drinks
- Eggs
- Cups or containers
In this activity, your kiddo will see how these drinks stain their beautiful smiles. Soak your eggs overnight in each liquid and see what they look like in the morning. Then have your kiddo brush their egg and see if they can get that gunk off!
Apple Cavity
We’ve all heard the word “cavity,” but this activity will help you learn what it really is. Since a cavity is a hole in our tooth, we’re going to poke a hole through an apple. The apple is our tooth and the hole is a cavity caused by tooth decay.
It won’t take long for your kiddo to notice the color changing!
Teeth Brushing Chart
We know we need to eat calcium-rich foods, avoid sugar bombs, and brush and floss daily. But a tooth brushing chart will make it a habit.
Create your own chart and have your kiddo color in a tooth every day they brush and floss. Bonus points for choosing healthy food and drinks over sweet and sticky junk. And at the end of the week, they get a reward!
Get mom and dad involved too since flossing isn’t just hard for kids. With everyone keeping their pearly whites in tip-top shape, the whole family will get A+’s at the next dentist visit!
A Calcium Boost for Healthy Teeth
When we make learning fun, our kiddos want to get involved. The same is true for taking vitamins.
When kid’s vitamins are tasty and fun to eat, our kiddos are excited to take them. And this is where Renzo’s Vitamins shines!
Renzo’s Hercules Calcium is the tasty way to give our kid’s dental health a boost. Picky eaters love the taste, and parents love the calcium, Vitamin D3, and Vitamin K2 without the sugary junk.
Happy National Children’s Dental Health Month!