Dentures and Dentist

Making Brushing Fun For Children: Three Top Tips You Can Try Now

22 May 2018

Julian Andrews

Many parents say that toothbrushing time is a constant struggle with their kids. Whilst you can do everything possible to instill great brushing habits in your child, all of those efforts may feel like a failure if your child has a short attention span or if they simply refuse to cooperate when it comes to brushing. Fortunately, there are a few things that you can do to increase interest in brushing by making it more fun. Try these three tips to capture your child's interest.

Tip #1: Try the Top Tooth Brushing Apps

Most kids adore electronics and would do nearly anything to get some extra screen time. This can be one situation where more screen time is actually a good thing, because there are tooth brushing apps that can really get your child excited to brush. Options like Brush My Teeth and the T-Rex Toothbrush Timer use exciting music, sound effects and timers to keep your child engaged. Whilst your child may think they're just playing a game, they're actually doing a thorough job of cleaning their teeth. 

Tip #2: Let Your Child Choose Their Brushing Tools

Toothbrush choice might seem like a simple thing to an adult, but to a child it can be ultra-important. Allow your child to select their own toothbrush and toothpaste at the local chemist,  pharmacy or supermarket. They can choose a colour or pattern they love, a cartoon character themed brush or even a singing toothbrush.  When it comes to toothpaste, the flavours that adults find just awful are those that appeal the most to the kids. Allow them to choose a bubblegum, tutti-frutti or other flavour paste that's made just for kids. It might surprise you how much your child looks forward to the taste of the toothpaste in the future!

Tip #3: Give Small Rewards For Milestones

To keep your child focused on the long term benefits of oral care, put a reward system in place. Display a chart that tracks progress in the bathroom, and note each day of proper brushing. After a week or even a month of continuous great brushing, give your child a small award. This award can be anything that your child finds to be high value, but avoid food or drink rewards. After all, you're doing great work to eliminate the damages of sugar to your child's teeth, so you don't want to introduce any unnecessary sugar. 

When you put these tooth brushing tips into practise your child will soon find brushing time to be fun time. Contact your dentist today to arrange your child's next check-up and get more great tips.

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