The back-to-school season is a great time to reinforce healthy habits or adjust routines with your kiddos. At Kids Care, we always think of back to school as the perfect time to get back to brushing basics to keep your family’s smiles healthy.
Here are our favorite tips to help your kiddos with their brushing habits:
- Consistency is key
Sandwich your brushing time between other daily activities. Maybe that’s bushing after breakfast and before putting on shoes in the morning. Or maybe it’s brushing after plugging in electronics and before putting on pajamas at night. - Make it exciting
Brushing should be fun, so help them have fun while building healthy habits. Maybe that’s finding a favorite song to listen to while you brush. You can even turn it into a freeze game, changing brushing areas (e.g., front, back, sides) every time the music stops. Or it could be keeping a variety of tooth paste flavors and allowing you kiddos to pick a toothpaste flavor every time they brush. - Reward good habits
As a parent you already know how much the right reward can motivate your kiddo. Keep a brushing calendar in the bathroom or some other central place in your home. Have your kiddos draw an X for every time they brush each day. At the end of the week, month, or whatever your desired frequency, if they have brushed twice a day for all the days, reward them with a special treat. The treat can be anything motivational to your child: a few more minutes of screen time, a trip to their favorite playground, a shopping trip to the dollar store, etc.
Reinforcing brushing habits is a good way to set your child up for success with other healthy habits and it’s a great way to keep a healthy smile on your kiddo’s face!