The importance of instilling the concept of...
February is National Children's Dental Health Month. Celebrate and learn more about the importance of a healthy smile and good dental habits. Our preschool and kindergarten dental health activities help children to get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.
During the month of February, we'll post some great free dental health and teeth activities from our NEW Healthy Teeth Digital Download Lessons.
Pretend to have a camera and ask children to say "Cheese!” and smile. Discuss with children how our teeth show when we smile. Talk with children about the important jobs teeth perform and the ways teeth can be kept healthy.
Make this Dentist Puppet (Patterns and craft available inside our KidsSoup Resource Library) and sing the song The Dentist Says:
The Dentist Says (OriginalAuthor Unknown)
(Tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
The dentist says please brush your teeth
to have a healthy smile.
Up and down and up and down
Brush them twice a day.
The dentist says please floss your teeth
to have a healthy smile.
In between and back and forth
Floss them once a day.
The dentist says please eat good food
to have a healthy smile.
Carrots, apples. and crunchy food
clean your teeth all day.
Read the emergent reader booklet "My Healthy Teeth" together. (KidsSoup members please click on the link to access the resource from our KidsSoup member site.)
“Good” and “bad” foods for the teeth
What we choose for meals and snacks can make a big difference in the health of our mouth. Decay-causing bacteria attack teeth if sugary or starchy foods stay in the mouth for a long time. If you do serve sticky snacks (chips, pretzels, crackers, and cereal), serve them less often and afterwards have your children brush their teeth or rinse their mouth with water. Serve these types of snacks with crunchy fruits and vegetables which are natural tooth cleaners. Acidic foods, such as lemons and pickles, can also erode and weaken tooth enamel.
Protective Foods:
• Meats, poultry and seafood have few carbohydrates. Protein helps to neutralize plaque acids.
• Sugarless chewing gum promotes salvia flow and helps clean food particles from teeth.
• Celery, cucumbers, broccoli, apples and other crunchy, fiber-containing foods are natural teeth cleaners.
• Cheese helps reduce the acid production from other foods.
• Milk is rich in calcium and phosphorus, which protects tooth enamel.
Healthy Teeth Lessons Bundle
Contains:
Brushing Teeth Lesson Plan with Craft
Brushing Teeth Chart Cards
I Brush My Teeth Booklet color
I Brush My Teeth Booklet b/w
I Brush My Teeth Mini Booklet
I Brush My Teeth Word Wall
Brushing Teeth Chart color
Brushing Teeth Chart b/w
Contains:
Brush Your Teeth Every Day Lesson
Brush Your Teeth Every Day Song
Brush Your Teeth Every Day Word Wall
I Cleaned My Teeth Today! Chart
Great Job! Stickers and Printables
Terrific Healthy Smile Certificate
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