How to Get Your Children to Brush Their Teeth

July 02, 2018

Is it a nightly struggle for you to get your children to brush their teeth? If so, you’re far from alone. Teeth brushing is not necessarily a fun activity, so it is no wonder kids don’t enjoy it. Thus, it is important to come up with ways to use with your children to not only make them brush their teeth, but make them want to brush their teeth. Consider the following four methods.

 

1. Make it fun - Let your children pick out their own toothbrush. There is a wide variety of toothbrushes, including ones with characters, ones that light up, and ones that play music. Additionally, if your children are competitive, make it a challenge and tell them something along the lines of, “Let’s see who can brush their teeth better.” Finally, a way to make teeth brushing fun is to make it a game. For instance, tell your children to be the hero who must save the teeth people from the bad teeth-eating monsters by brushing them away (did you get all the monsters?).

 

1. Brush with them - If your children see you brushing your teeth, then they will be more likely to do it as well, especially if you show them how fun it is. It also may help for them to have a companion while brushing their teeth.

 

1. Use rewards - Using simple rewards for your children when they brush their teeth can have positive reinforcement on their behavior. For example, provide a calendar where they can put stickers on the number of times they brush each day. Having a visual may help remind and encourage them to brush.

 

1. Keep a routine - Having a morning and nightly routine for your children can encourage them to consistently brush their teeth. It can be easy on a late night or while on vacation to allow your children to skip “just this once,” but this can actually backfire, and before you know it, your children will be asking every night if they can skip. Therefore, schedule a time for your children to brush their teeth, such as right after they put on their pajamas.

 

Getting your children to brush their teeth does not have to be a nightly struggle. It may simply be about your approach. Tonight, instead of fighting with your children to get them to brush their teeth, try using one of the above methods, and determine which one works best for you and your children.

 

 

References

 

5 Ways to Get Your Kids Excited about Brushing Their Teeth. Dr. Ashley Mann. September 2017. https://drashleymann.com/5-ways-to-get-your-kids-excited-about-brushing-their-teeth/

 

10 Bright Ideas to Make Brushing Your Teeth Fun for Kids. Foreo. November 2015. https://www.foreo.com/mysa/10-bright-ideas-make-brushing-your-teeth-fun-kids/

---

Also in Samuraw articles