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As most parents know, children will do almost anything to avoid brushing their teeth, even resorting to lying to avoid this simple task. Instead of constantly doing battle with your children, try these great techniques and play some of these simple games to make oral hygiene fun rather than a chore.

The Bubble Game

Play a game where all the members of your family brush their teeth at the same time. Encourage everyone to make as many bubbles as possible while brushing their teeth and give a prize to the person who makes the most bubbles.

Train Wheels

Another good game you can play to make sure that your child brushes their teeth thoroughly is to pretend that their brush strokes are actually train wheels. You can show them how to make the brush strokes as large and round as possible and perhaps sing a train song while your child is brushing their teeth to encourage them and add more fun to the experience.

Storytelling

Explain the importance of brushing your teeth to your child by telling a story. Make the story as animated as possible to really make the point and use colourful characters such as sugar bugs, which attack the teeth and have to be battled by the brave toothbrush. You can even create a comic book using these characters with your child to make the story fun and memorable.

Let Your Child Select Their Own Toothpaste

Many children find the taste menthol and mint toothpaste too strong, which can put them off brushing their teeth. However, special children’s toothpaste comes in a wide range of flavours these days, including orange and strawberry. Letting your child choose a brightly coloured toothbrush with an image of a cartoon character on it may also make them more willing to brush their teeth.

Praise Your Child

After you child has brushed their teeth successfully, make sure you give them plenty of encouragement so that they are more likely to want to brush their teeth again later. You could assign special rewards such as stickers or stars which your child can collect and trade in for a special treat when they have collected a certain number.

Countdown

Convincing the kids to spend the recommended two minutes brushing their teeth can be tough at times. Help the time pass more quickly by playing a song that your child loves or even singing to them while they brush their teeth. We have found a great app that is good for this.

Do you have any other tricks or ideas for getting your little ones to brush their teeth?

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