6 Ways to Make Dental Hygiene Fun for Kids
6 Ways to Make Dental Hygiene Fun for Kids
Dental hygiene is a vital part of everyday routine that keeps teeth, smiles, and general health in check every day. However, washing and flossing teeth may seem a notorious task for children, and a dental visit is a scary, even traumatic experience if not guided through it carefully. Sometimes the growth of the first set of teeth can be painful for the child, and that is all the more reason to take additional care to get your child to include dental hygiene easily and not make it a chore. This article covers some tricks to incorporate brushing teeth as a daily activity important as a meal. Specifically, 6 ways to make dental hygiene fun for kids.
1. Do it together
Kids adopt habits from their parents. If you aren’t brushing and flossing regularly, your children will notice sooner or later. Anytime they do, they will avoid the activity altogether. By observing the behaviour of adults and imitating them, children imitate and adopt the behaviour of their parents and older siblings. Therefore, you need to set an example and be the person who will do it regularly. To go even further, make it a group activity and do it together. That way, you will be certain that they did it and even teach them proper routine.
2. Make it fun
Some activities are easy to make fun for kids, like making colourful food, arranging toys, talking about the animal species, etc. They have to overcome the fear of visiting the dentist. Daily routines and home chores don’t seem easy to make an interesting activity. However, by making it a race to finish brushing exactly when the alarm goes off, or singing a song about a smile, looking for a bad guy – bacteria while flossing, it can all be a game. Taking care of your health shouldn’t be difficult but enjoyable. Maybe a song and dance about the growth of the plants for the bottom teeth and the rainfall for the upper, which is finished with a check-up of the trees and clouds while flossing can make it fun for grownups equally?
3. Include them in shopping for the dental care products
When you are going grocery shopping, including your children, they could pick the fruits they want to eat (that you plan to buy), as well as their dental care. The colourful brushes and many tastes of toothpaste are certain to make an impression on your child and help them see dental hygiene as playtime with their favourite hero, tasting the fruits or sweets they love eating anyway. The key moment here is, as in the previous advice, making shopping for dental care a group activity, the thing that all people do, and they can ask for advice or make different choices on their own.
4. Start visits early and make them routine
The dentist’s appointment is part of dental hygiene. It is not daily, but it is essential nonetheless. It is a habit you should incorporate as soon as their teeth start growing. When choosing your kid’s dentist, look for the one that specializes in children so that they can follow your child’s development from the beginning. Go with them and even let them see that you are also going to the dentist so that they understand that it is a completely normal part of life. Someone else’s hands in their mouth and the white lights above their heads may be scary, so the real-life example of their parent doing the same will certainly ease the appointment.
5. Encourage independence
As soon as your toddler shows interest in brushing their teeth on their own, do not correct them. Let them do it by themselves and then inspect together until they learn how to do it successfully. By learning to show their teeth and inspect them, the dentist appointment will additionally be set for an easy success since it is normal to brush, look and check your teeth. Furthermore, it is a great start for incorporating flossing and inspecting the results of this thorough activity. Music, dancing, games, books, or cartoons about flossing will certainly be a significant help in perfecting your child’s independent dental hygiene.
6. A reward system
The last piece of advice is specifically successful if you have more children. Building a responsible adult is not an easy task, and being a parent is the most responsible job of all. Creating a routine, you have to be more creative with the many colourful information around us. The reward system is a fine measure of discipline, responsibility, and respect. The reward can be more free time, a new experience or bonding time. Be careful, however, not to bribe. If they want something, they can tell you when they earn it. The daily, weekly or monthly, building habits never stop, and neither it should. Enjoy spending time with your children on any occasion, even simple teeth brushing before bed.
