Parenting Tips on How to Teach Your Kids About Flossing Correctly
As a parent, teaching your children healthy habits is like cultivating a garden — it takes patience, dedication, and consistent effort to ensure that the habits stick. And the result is your kids will have such bright, healthy smiles for years ahead. According to a professional children dentist Wimbledon, the habit of flossing is one that should be instilled in them early on. But how can you do so without seeming repetitive or overbearing?
Teaching kids about flossing doesn’t have to be a run-and-chase game with your kids. There are many simple tips and methods for making the task fun and positive for everyone involved. In this blog post, we’ll offer some expert advice on how to teach your children about flossing correctly, from what tools they need to why it’s such an essential part of oral hygiene. Read on to find out more.
Sing Songs
Kids love singing songs. It’s no wonder since their brain’s neuroplasticity makes it easier for them to learn and remember things through music. And it makes it the best way to cultivate a habit of flossing after brushing their teeth. Make up a short song or rap about flossing and have your kids join in. This is an easy way to help your children remember that they need to floss every time, not just some of the time. Plus, singing can make even mundane tasks, like flossing, fun and enjoyable.
Show Them How It’s Done, Slowly
Sometimes kids just need to be shown how to do something rather than being told what to do. So why not demonstrate the correct way of flossing? Let your children watch you as they brush their teeth, and then show them how you use the floss in between your teeth and gums. Explain to them that it’s important to floss all the way to the gum line and back up again so they don’t miss any areas. After all, it’s more effective than just brushing alone.
Make Flossing a Family Affair
Flossing is not just for kids. Make it a family activity and do it together. Kids learn best from example, so make sure you floss your teeth in front of them each day too. This way, they’ll see that it’s essential that everyone in the family to floss. You may even be able to turn it into a game, with the whole family competing against each other whose floss job is the most thorough. As the icing on the cake, use positive reinforcement as motivation and reward their good behavior by giving them stickers or a small treat when they remember to floss without being reminded.
Add Oral Hygiene to Their Imaginative Play
Aside from songs, games, and fun activities with the whole family, children also learn through their play. Make flossing a part of their imaginative play with dolls or toy figures to teach proper oral hygiene. Inspire your kids’ creativity by giving them toothbrushes and pretend flossers for when they build elaborate scenes using blocks, figurines, and other toys. On top of this, you can even make up stories about the characters and how they take care of their teeth. As they act out the scenes, they’ll learn to associate flossing with fun and positive images.
Parents are the most important teachers and role models in their children’s lives. Remember that teaching kids healthy habits, such as flossing, is not only beneficial to them but also a great way for you to bond with your children. So take the time to show your kids how and why floss is important every day — it’ll be worth the effort.
