If you’ve ever tried teaching a child to brush and floss, you know it isn’t always the easiest thing to accomplish. With a short attention span and often little interest in anything that seems like work, children might not immediately take to the idea of good hygiene. However, you might find it easier and more successful to teach kids to brush their teeth by making it fun!
Make brushing and flossing a game.
For young children, responsibility isn’t exactly exciting. So, trying to teach a child the long-term importance of cleaning their teeth might not be the most enticing approach. Instead, make a game out of it. Brush and floss alongside your child and see who can clean their teeth the best. To make it even more interesting, the winner can be rewarded with a small prize!
Reward a job well done.
Rewarding your child for brushing and flossing with a piece of candy isn’t the right idea. In fact, it would reverse the point of brushing and flossing in the first place. However, you can find equally rewarding and less detrimental rewards, like letting your child choose the night’s bedtime story, or watching an extra episode of their favorite show before going to bed.
Time the routine just right.
Besides boredom, another deterrent to teaching children good hygiene is timing. If they’re always forced to brush their teeth before bedtime, then children will automatically associate the routine with going to bed. Instead, try to time brushing and flossing right before watching TV or playing games with the family in the evening so they’ll be more excited to get it done.