Tooth brushing activities don't have to be totally hands-on. Kids can learn about oral care and the benefits of brushing through a variety of online games. Many notable dental care sites provide kids with pages of brushing-themed activities to try for free. For example, Colgate's kids page has games for specific age groups from toddlers through age 9. Look for activities such as the Toothbrush Path for kids 2 to 4, Toothpaste Tower for preschoolers and Attack the Plaque Monster for older children. Another site to check for fun online activities is Mouth Power from Baltimore's National Museum of Dentistry. Kids can visit the Mouth Power cartoon cleaning station to learn about the right and wrong ways to brush or make online tooth art at the Creativity Corner.
Some children, especially younger kids, may not be fully aware of the importance of brushing. You can help kids to see how vital this part of dental care is to them and try a brushing experiment. One favorite of many teachers is an egg enamel activity. Use a hard boiled egg to represent the enamel of the child's teeth. Discuss how the enamel protects the teeth just like the shell protects the egg. Place the egg into a jar filled with vinegar for a few days. When you take the egg out the vinegar it will have broken down the shell. Compare this to the bacteria and acids in the mouth that brushing can remove. Another option is to fill separate containers with soda, grape juice or iced tea. Place eggs into the liquids and have the child observe what happens to the shell.
Inspire kids to brush by creating a spectacular sticker chart. Involve the child in the entire process by helping him design the chart as a piece of art work. For a creative touch, draw or trace a large picture of a tooth onto a piece of poster board that is at least 11-by-14 inches in size. Make a calendar on the tooth, including enough space for at least two stickers per day. Have your child decorate the space around the tooth calendar with glitter and glue, markers or crayons. Encourage brushing and allow your child to choose a sticker each time he engages in the activity. Let him place his sticker onto the appropriate space on the calendar. Repeat this each month for added encouragement.
Creating a 2- or 3-D model of the mouth can help kids to better understand what they are brushing and where to place the tooth brush. Look at photos or illustrations of the mouth, noting the different types of teeth and what they look like. Try a 2-D representation of your teeth by designing a model paper tooth collage. Draw a pair of giant lips onto a piece of 11-by-14-inch paper. Cut tooth shapes out of white paper and glue inside. Make a marshmallow model by connecting marshmallows together with toothpicks. Use 12 on the top and another 12 on the bottom, cutting and flattening them into four incisors, two canines and six molars. Bend the marshmallow tooth strands into 'U' shapes and set on top of each other.