How many times have you told your child to brush their teeth and get ready for bed? Yet night after night, they either ignore you or complain about it.
As tiring as it is, it’s important for parents not to let their kids slip when it comes to tooth brushing. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that parents continue to supervise their children’s tooth-brushing process until age 12.
A few simple games can help you get your child interested and involved in brushing their teeth:
- Give your child an incentive to brush quickly and thoroughly.
Promise your child they can watch their favorite TV show after they brush their teeth. Or better yet (and if you don’t have new carpet), sit on the floor with your child’s head in your lap in front of the TV to brush their teeth. Use a small amount of paste to avoid a mess. - Brush to music.
A song can last between two to three minutes or longer. Brush to the action of the music and throw in a couple of hip wiggles too. - Give your child an electric toothbrush.
Kids love gadgets and many electric toothbrushes have timing mechanisms so your child can time how long they brush. - There’s an app for that.
Of course there is! Try an app that specifically focuses on making tooth-brushing fun like Brush DJ, which plays two minutes of music from your library while you race against time. Star Teeth allows your child to choose a character or tooth brushing buddy each morning to brush along with for two minutes. A timer or music can be also be used to add to the fun. - Count aloud as you brush.
“Tooth number one is all clean! Tooth number two is all clean! Here comes tooth number three!” It’s entertaining for your child, plus a great way to practice counting.
Do you have fun games that have worked to help your child learn to brush their teeth? We’d love to hear your ideas.