Tooth-Brushing Games!
To help ease some of the frustrating moments when your kids are being slow or whining about brushing their teeth, try some of these tricks:
· Say, “Do you know what I see in your mouth? I see a monkey. And there’s an elephant!” Come up with five or six things until either you or your child has brushed all of the sections of your child’s mouth. Children will be more willing to open their mouth to find out what’s in there!
· Have two toothbrushes. One for you and one for your child. When you’re done brushing, it’s your child’s turn. Don’t let them brush first! The motivation to use their toothbrush is in having them wait for their turn. If they do it first, you may face the problem of them refusing to open their mouth when it’s your turn!
· You can tell your kids to brush “east side, west side, inside, uptown and down town” I used that one many years ago and I see that kids still love it!
· Certain age kids love to make a “super villain” face and growl! That really gets the mouth open wide enough to reach those back teeth!
· Sing some “aah’s” and “ees”. Those “aah’s” work great for brushing the back teeth and the “ees” are great for brushing the front teeth!
· If you are still having trouble, make tooth brushing appear as a fun activity they are missing out on. Parents can go the bathroom looking excited to brush their teeth. Laugh a lot and make a lot of noise. Don’t ask them to join you. They’ll ask you as soon as they see they’re missing out on the fun! Your enthusiasm is contagious! If you are enthusiastic about the activity, your children will be enthusiastic. Children are great emulators and tend to want to do the things that their parents do.
To help ease some of the frustrating moments when your kids are being slow or whining about brushing their teeth, try some of these tricks:
· Say, “Do you know what I see in your mouth? I see a monkey. And there’s an elephant!” Come up with five or six things until either you or your child has brushed all of the sections of your child’s mouth. Children will be more willing to open their mouth to find out what’s in there!
· Have two toothbrushes. One for you and one for your child. When you’re done brushing, it’s your child’s turn. Don’t let them brush first! The motivation to use their toothbrush is in having them wait for their turn. If they do it first, you may face the problem of them refusing to open their mouth when it’s your turn!
· You can tell your kids to brush “east side, west side, inside, uptown and down town” I used that one many years ago and I see that kids still love it!
· Certain age kids love to make a “super villain” face and growl! That really gets the mouth open wide enough to reach those back teeth!
· Sing some “aah’s” and “ees”. Those “aah’s” work great for brushing the back teeth and the “ees” are great for brushing the front teeth!
· If you are still having trouble, make tooth brushing appear as a fun activity they are missing out on. Parents can go the bathroom looking excited to brush their teeth. Laugh a lot and make a lot of noise. Don’t ask them to join you. They’ll ask you as soon as they see they’re missing out on the fun! Your enthusiasm is contagious! If you are enthusiastic about the activity, your children will be enthusiastic. Children are great emulators and tend to want to do the things that their parents do.
