Cash and Wyatt are about to take their first trip to the Dentist. Hooray! So naturally I felt the need to prepare them, but also I wanted to make sure they knew how to properly brush their teeth. Brushing teeth occurs quite often in our house. Wyatt seems to think he needs to brush his teeth after every single meal. {well at least he likes it} So I know that our frequency is great, but I was curious about our actual knowledge and efficiency. I’m pretty sure they think it’s like washing hands, where you do it as fast as possible, or worse, they think toothpaste is a dessert. So I set out on another educational mission, and by the end we were experts at Brushing Teeth!
Teaching Toddlers about Brushing Teeth
So where did I start? Where else, but with a book? For this lesson, I went to the Usborne, My First Experiences, Going to the Dentist book. Since, after all, I’m preparing them for their big trip! There are a ton of other great books about Brushing Teeth and all of them are worth a look. I also went to our Local Library and brought home a bunch of supplemental reading including Pony Brushes his Teeth because Wyatt loves animals doing kid things, whereas Cash wants the strict science.
Where to Start
After our reading, which happened over the past few days to scaffold this lesson, I bought the boys donuts. #momwinning They were super excited to hear that we had to “get our teeth dirty with chocolate” for this lesson and practically ran over each other to get to the learning table. As they ate their precious chocolate I re-read the Dentist book and quizzed Cash about the names of teeth, Incisors, Molars, etc. Which he nailed! I then pulled out a fancy little dental mirror, just like the one in the book and asked them to check out their dirty teeth in their bedroom mirror.
Teach about Flossing
Earlier this morning I made a batch of Chocolate Play-Dough to use with this lesson. It was the perfect ingredient that tied in with the chocolate donuts for a really fun filled morning. I used 2 large white Mega Blocks to be our pretend “teeth” and explained to the boys that it was their turn to “chew up some chocolate” with these teeth. They were really excited to do that!
Once our chewing play ended I had them stuff chocolate between the big teeth, just like they had seen it stuck in their own teeth. They also really enjoyed this part! Next, I brought out some real floss and showed them how I would floss my own teeth. They have seen me do this before bedtime, but never really knew what it was until now. Intrigued, I handed them cut pieces of white yarn from my yarn stash and helped them “floss” the Lego teeth. I have always been a big flosser and think it’s a mandatory part of the whole Brushing Teeth process.
Teach about Brushing Teeth
We played with the floss for a long time. Longer than I expected, but they really started to get the hang of it. On the Legos at least. I finally stopped them and said, “Okay, it’s time for Brushing Teeth” and we all ran to the bathroom. As mentioned before, Wyatt is tooth brushing enthusiast so he was really excited about this next part. This next part was also the big test to see if they really knew what they were doing in the bathroom… which as it turns out they did not. We had to learn!
I took them into the bathroom and handed them new toothbrushes {super cheap ones} to use on the Legos. I explained that it was their job to get all of the sticky, brown, yummy chocolate off of the teeth so they would be healthy. They tried and really had no idea how to properly scrub. As it turns out, brushing teeth is much harder than they thought! Cash once said, “This is like Daddy washing the cars!” as he put in some extra elbow grease.
Applied Learning
After they both spent way too much time and water getting their Lego teeth clean I restocked the chocolate play-dough between the teeth and showed them how I do it with longer strokes along the sides and top. We learned that the toothbrushes didn’t fit in between the teeth to get the hard to reach chocolate which re-emphasized the importance of flossing. When the Lego teeth were finally clean we grabbed their own toothbrushes and they applied their newly learned skills. I took their toothbrushes and as I brushed their teeth said, “Remember when we brushed the Legos this way? And this way”
Success!
I stood back and watched them work their little toothbrushes much faster and efficiently in their own mouths. I’m certain that had we not done this lesson, we’d have a few cavities at our Dentist visit next week. We probably should have done this sooner, but I’m glad we did it now.
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Welcome to Mom School! This post is one of many Homeschool Preschool Lessons with #MySweetandSticky {Cash & Wyatt} As a former educator, I wanted to give them their best start before heading into public schools. (Which we LOVE!) On occasion, and throughout the summer, we continue our At-Home Learning. Cash is my Science Guy and Wyatt can’t get enough Sensory Play. Join us for every Sweet & Sticky moment.
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What a darling idea
[…] we’re learning about all the ways to keep our bodies clean. Last week we learned all about Teeth Brushing and Flossing, and this week we’re talking even more about Germs. When it comes to Teaching Toddlers about […]