Games To Get Kids Excited About Dental Care
Posted on: 13 June 2016
Few children are eager to brush their teeth every night. They won't remind Mom and Dad that it's time for brushing like they will when it comes to time for snacks or games. That's why it's important to be very proactive in getting your kids excited about dental care. If you have a positive attitude about it and frame it as just another fun part of the day, children will take on a more positive attitude about it, too. Implement these games as part of the your children's daily dental care habits, and they just may start looking forward to brushing their teeth after all.
Junk Hunt
Instead of going for a treasure hunt in one's mouth, have a game for a "junk hunt". Have a child floss between every tooth and try to get rid of any food particles that can get stuck between their teeth. Have the child run the floss under running water when they do find something.
As a reward for going on the "junk hunt" in their mouth, let the child pick out of a makeshift treasure box, which can simply be an old shoe box filled with tiny prizes like they'd find in a gumball machine. A junk hunt that ends in a treasure will thrill kids.
Squirreling Around
Have a little fun when it's time to use mouthwash by playing animal games with your child. Some animals have puffy cheeks and they sometimes use their cheeks to store food. See which animals your kids can make themselves look like when they swish with mouthwash. They may look like a squirrel who is storing nuts in their cheeks or a chipmunk if they really go far with it.
You may choose to swish with mouthwash when they do and make fun faces together with the mouthwash. Just make sure that they know not to swallow the mouthwash, and always be using a specifically formulated kid-friendly mouthwash that isn't harmful if accidentally swallowed.
Countdown to Fun
Since many dental professionals recommend that kids spend at least two minutes brushing their teeth to get them fully clean, it's important to do more than simply make sure that kids brush their teeth. You need to also make sure that children are spending enough time doing so. One way to do this is to play Countdown to Fun.
For this game, count down the time it takes children to brush each part of their mouth. You may sing the countdown or otherwise make it exciting and fun for kids. The upper right should take a half-minute, while the bottom right side should also take a half-minute. The same is true for the bottom and upper parts on the left side of the mouth. Taking 30 seconds on each part of the mouth adds up to the two minutes that's recommended. If children made the most of the full countdown, then follow up on the promise of the game and do something fun before bedtime. That can mean everything from reading a bedtime story to putting on some music and dancing for a bit to get rid of the last bits of energy kids may still have from their day.
Finally, keep in mind that it's important to heap praise on kids at the end of dental care games. That's the real reward, especially for very small children. Letting your children know you are proud of them for a job done well is the positive reinforcement most kids need to be happy about their dental care. Use these games and maybe invent some of you own. When you combine games with positive reinforcement, you are setting your kids up to develop good dental habits for life.
For more information, contact dentists like Waller Ray DDS.
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