 | | Try these family fun activities with your kids. The purpose of these activities is to get keiki to realize the importance of dental health and how our teeth affect our lives.
1. Make a collage. Cut out pictures from magazines of people with bright, healthy teeth and people with yellowed, unhealthy teeth. Can you find more people with healthy teeth or unhealthy teeth?
2. For one week, write down the time each of your family members brush their teeth each day, and then count the minutes they spend brushing their teeth. Do they brush at least twice a day? Do they spend at least three minutes brushing their teeth?
3. Write a poem or short story about your teeth. Are your teeth healthy and happy? How important are your teeth to you? What do you love the most about your teeth?
4. Does anyone in your family have something interesting about their teeth? Does someone have braces, a retainer or dentures? Ask them what it's like.
5. Conduct a survey of your home. Write down a list of all the good, calcium-rich foods for your teeth like milk and cheese, and all the bad, sugary foods like candies that are found in your house. Write down another list of all the tooth friendly items in your home like toothbrushes, floss and toothpaste. How many good and bad things can you find?
6. Examine your pet’s teeth. Can you count the number of teeth that your pet has? Did your pet lose its baby teeth? If you don’t know, ask your parents or family members. How do you help your pet take care of its teeth? Do you brush his or her teeth? If so, how often do you brush their teeth? Try to touch your pet’s teeth. What does it feel like? Check your pet’s teeth often to make sure that he or she doesn’t have tooth decay or other dental problems.
7. Learn about animals’ teeth. Do you know what the teeth of animals look like? Try surfing the Internet to see the teeth of these animals: dinosaur, elephant, horse, lion, shark, rabbit, and goat. What do their teeth look like? How many teeth do they have? Do their teeth look like yours?
8. Write a calcium journal. Calcium is very important for your teeth; it makes your teeth strong! Every day, write down the foods that you eat that contain calcium. For example, calcium is found in the cheese in your cheeseburger, a glass of milk, milk with your cereal, ice cream, and yogurt. How much calcium are you eating or drinking each day? Is it enough to make your teeth and bones strong? If not, be sure to ask your parents for foods with calcium to keep you growing. Show your parents your calcium journal every day so they can make sure that you’re getting enough calcium.
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Foods like milk and cheese are good for you because they are rich in calcium. | |
