The Ultimate Dental Health Month Round-Up for Kids
This round-up was a big sacrifice for me, since I hate teeth, talking about teeth, and dentists! Ick! I don't want to touch teeth, pull teeth, or look at them (which makes it challenging to teach hygiene to the children). My husband is even worse!
Fortunately, I now have a good tribe around me! The majority of these toothsome ideas came from the wonderful people at Kid Bloggers Network. Thanks, guys! I hope you all enjoy them!
Tooth Fairy
We don't do the tooth fairy at our house. I pay the kids up front for their lost teeth with Disney Dollars (DD), our family currency. Each tooth is worth $5 DD and $100 DD equals one $10 USD toy. Dollars may also be earned by "going above and beyond" what your parents have asked you to do. For example, if you're asked to clear the table and you sweep the kitchen as well, you'll earn some DD. It's been working very well for us.
This blogger has tooth certificates for both boys and girls. They could be used at school, a dentist office, or at home. The tooth chart one each certificate would be very helpful in keeping track which teeth each child as lost. The free printable is available on The Quiet Grove blog.
I love making things with felt. This tooth pillow is so cute! It has a pocket for storing the tooth. Add a ribbon handle and hang it on your child's door to make your fairy duties easier. Get all the details on the Buggy and Buddy blog.
Perhaps your tooth fairy doesn't come in the door. Maybe she (he?) uses a special fairy door. These doors are so adorable that I want to install one just for the cuteness factor. This blog post has a round-up of tooth fairy ideas. Click the picture above to see them all.
A fairy as special as one that collects teeth must have special money prizes. These coins are simple to make and would make a fun addition to your child's pretend play. Add a fairy wand and some wings for the ultimate fairy fun!
What a collection of books! If reading about teeth doesn't cause you to clam up and get queasy, you'll love adding these books to your library. Perfect for school, dental offices, homeschool, and more. Get the complete list from the Kennedy Adventures blog.
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School/Homeschooling
We're a homeschool family, so I'm always looking for fun learning activities. This was the easiest section to fill, because there are many options on the internet. Enjoy!
I can't remember what possessed me to make this printable. I think it was a trip to the dentist for the kids. I created these Montessori-inspired 3-part cards, so they could learn about the parts of a tooth. Click on the link to grab the PDF.
The blogger says this back is good for 2-8 year olds, so there should be something for all your little kids! And it's tooth fairy themed, which is really fun. Grab the free printable from 3 Dinosaurs and get learning.
I have been following Every Star is Different for years! She's one of the bloggers who really inspired me to be a Montessori homeschooler. I love her ideas and the trays she creates for her kids. This dental unit is full of practical skills as well as traditional subjects. Be sure to check out all her ideas when you visit her blog.
The clip art for this set of cards is so cute! It's great for practicing phonetic awareness. There's lots of free printables at the Preschool Activities Nook so go grab some for yourself or your classroom.
I did a round-up last year of movable alphabets, where I featured cute ideas like this one. Although, themed alphabets are unnecessary, they make learning at bit more fun. Plus their cute!
This is a printable worksheet pack to go with the book, "Open Up- Tooth School Inside." The Wise Owl also has many Montessori-inspired printables, so be sure to spend some time on her site looking at them.
Did you know that teeth are made of calcium and so is the shell of an egg? When you treat egg shells like we treat our teeth, you can show kids what happens to our teeth when we don't take care of them. This experiment involves getting the egg dirty and then making it clean again. There's lots of homeschooling fun in the Moore house!
There are lots of ideas on this blog for preschool learning. Click the picture to see all the dental-themed pictures.
This game is played by rolling the dice and adding teeth. Simple and yet very effective.
For someone so opposed to teeth, I sure made a lot of dental printables. These 3-part cards are also for our teeth unit last year. Print out two copies, cut one copy completely apart (separating the words from the picture) and keep the second copy whole to make the 3-parts of the card set. Alternatively, you can cut the second page into cards that include both the word and the picture.
For younger kids, print two copies, cut out the cards with the pictures and words together and play memory.
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Dental Heath
February is Dental Health month! Here are a couple ideas for taking care of your teeth and teaching children to do the same.
Did you know that there are particular foods that are healthy for your teeth and ones that aren't? This blogger mom gives you a good list of eight foods that are particularly good for your chompers. It's a helpful reminder. Perhaps you can use the list to make a poster with your kids of foods that teeth like vs ones that they don't like. For more kid-friendly food ideas, visit Ketchup Moms.
Taking care of business! Oh, I mean- braces. Orthodontics have almost become a right-of-passage for most kids. This blog article from The Quiet Grove gives you some great tips for treating your braces right.
This printable chart is a great idea for helping kids keep track of their tooth brushing. Laminate it and use a dry erase marker so it can be used over and over. Find it and more ideas at the Three Different Directions blog.
Trips to the Dentist are never fun, but you can help make them less scary for your child with these seven tips from Child Life Mommy.
Here's an 8th tip for moms with sensitive kids- bring a weighted blanket or ask the hygienist about using the x-ray drape during the visit. The added pressure can be very calming.
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Pretend Play
Finally, it's time to talk about fun tooth-related stuff! I focused specifically on pretend play, since role-playing is often helpful in relieving dental jitters. Many of these ideas could also be used in a school or homeschool setting.
Practice pulling teeth, brushing them, and flossing them with this play dough invitation to play from Fantastic Fun and Learning. There are many ideas on the blog, so hang out for a while an pin some for later.
This mom created a dentist office play pack to help her preschooler get her first cavity filled. The paper dolls can be moved throughout different scenes, allowing for a lot of creative play. Grab the free printable at the Teach Beside Me blog.
Confession- we've never made slime! We haven't even bought any! It seems like fun, but I've also heard a lot of horror stories. This glitter slime is tempting, though. Get lots of great ideas at the Still Playing School blog!
Doctors and Dentists to be need to practice wearing the white coat. This tutorial uses a white t-shirt which doesn't need to be hemmed or sewn. See the East Coast Mommy's other ideas on her blog.
This mom's husband was getting his hygienist license, so she wanted to make a set of tools for her toddler. A few household craft supplies are all that's needed to make this cute set.
This toothpaste making activity is completely pretend, but it gave me the idea of creating a similar activity for real with unflavored natural toothpaste and candy flavoring. The kids can make their own flavors and then use them for brushing their teeth. Homemade toothpaste made just the way you like has to be the coolest thing of all!
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