Discover How to Get Your Child to Brush!

Teaching your child to brush is a task that many of us parents have dreaded at one time or another. Having your child brush, however, is extremely important because it establishes good oral habits that last a lifetime. Despite the protests and the fight your child may give you, it is extremely important that you brush their teeth to reduce the amount of plaque causing bacteria in their mouths. Parents, in fact, need to be responsible for making sure their children's teeth are clean until the child reaches five to six years of age! This is because, on average, younger children do not have the manual dexterity required to brush teeth effectively.

The key to getting your child to brush is to make it fun. If your child still refuses to engage in these tooth brushing games, make tooth brushing appear as a fun activity they are missing out on. Have mum and/or dad go up to the bathroom eager to brush. Laugh a lot and make a lot of noise. Soon your child will realise that they are missing out on something fun and will want to join in.
Your enthusiasm is contagious! If you are enthusiastic about the activity, your children will be enthusiastic. Children are great emulators. They tend to want to do the things that their parents do. If your children see you brushing your teeth and displaying good dental habits, they will follow.

I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to brushing (and eating too many sweets, although we certainly allow the boys to have them) and we use this chart that can easily be made by you at home. Each morning and night that Master 4 brushes his teeth (followed by a brush by mum!) he gets to put a tooth on his chart. I gave Master 4 a small egg timer that goes for 2 minutes - therefore we brush for a minute up top and a minute down below! On Friday night we add up how many teeth he has and this is rewarded with the total in marshmallows! The marshmallows then have to last from Friday night until the following week. I have to say Master 4 is quiet good at pacing the marshmallows out over the weekend! While Master 4 brushes I'm there singing the following tune using MY toothbrush as a microphone!!!

Ready, steady

Here we go

It’s a two minute brush

So don’t be slow

You got to have rhythm

You got to have style

Get into a groove

To brighten your smile

Bugs don’t brush, a bird has a beak

A crocodile would take all week

A cat prefers to sleep in the sun

She doesn’t know that brushing is fun

If you want to dazzle

Whenever you laugh

Then keep with the action

There’s a minute and a half

You got to have rhythm

You got to have style

Get into a groove

To brighten your smile

Your brush can be pink

Your brush can be blue

With stripes or spots

It’s up to you

It can cost a fortune

Or 50 cents

Powered by your arm

Or a battery

It’s not a competition

You don’t have to win it

Just keep on brushing

For one more minute

You got to have rhythm

You got to have style

Get into a groove

To brighten your smile

Brushing is good for dads and mums

And a friendly smile will make you chums

Brushing protects your teeth and gums

Although it won’t help you do your sums

Not too fast

Not too slow

It’s a circular motion

Thirty seconds to go

You got to have rhythm

You got to have style

Get into a groove

To brighten your smile

Brush to the north, brush to the south

Have a sunny disposition

Don’t be down in the mouth

Brush to the east, brush to the west

And you’ll have a smile

That’s the very, very best

Now you can spit!

Wasn’t that fun?

So let’s see that smile…

That’s brilliant!

You’re done