Many kindergarten and first grade students don’t understand the importance of brushing and flossing their teeth. This dental health lesson plan will help them understand what a lack of brushing and flossing can do to their teeth.
To teach students why dental health is important, you can do two visual experiments.
For the first experiment, show students a hard boiled egg. Ask them what is covering the egg (a shell), and why it is there (to protect the egg). Explain to students that their teeth have a covering on them too, called “enamel.” When the enamel on their teeth is covered in food, brushing their teeth takes it away. Place the egg into a clear container of vinegar out of the students’ reach, and leave it for several days. Then remove the egg and have students observe what happened to the shell (the enamel) after sitting in the vinegar (the food). Ask students to infer what might happen to the enamel on their teeth if they never brushed them.
Before the second experiment, ask students to explain what a cavity is (a hole in their teeth). Tell students that this experiment will help them see why a cavity is so harmful. Show students a ripe apple, and cut a small hole in the apple. Then place it in a clear container out of the students’ reach, and leave it for several days. Then show students the apple again, and discuss what happened to the hole. Ask students to discuss what this shows about how harmful cavities are, and how important it is to fill them when they do occur.
Sing this song with your students while they mime brushing and flossing their teeth. Send the song home after you finish this teeth lesson plan so that parents can sing it with their children while brushing and flossing.
Brush, Brush, Brush (to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”)
Brush, brush, brush your teeth
Just two times a day
Brush around, and up and down
And each and every way.
Floss, floss, floss your teeth,
Floss them every night
Floss them up and floss them down
To keep them nice and white.