Daily Routines: Brushing Teeth
WE MAKE IT EASY FOR PARENTS TO IDENTIFY TEACHABLE MOMENTS FOR COMMUNICATION AND LIFE SKILLS.
Welcome to ETP’s daily routine series! How do we add play or language into the mix when it feels like “another thing to do”? Whether it’s time, motivation, or just not knowing where to start, we want to help you troubleshoot!
Grab your notebook and join us every Monday as we share a parent-tip blog post. We’re excited to show you exactly how you can utilize your daily routines (something you already do) to expand your child’s language skills.
This is part two of our daily routine series: brushing teeth!
5 ways to make brushing your toddler’s teeth a learning activity
Yes, your toddler can learn while brushing their teeth!
Here are a few simple ways to incorporate learning and brushing:
EXPLAIN:
Talk about why we brush our teeth. Remember to keep it simple!
“We brush to keep our teeth healthy and clean.”
OFFER CHOICES:
This can be the color of your toothbrush, flavor of toothpaste, who is going to brush first, choice of bathroom, etc.
“Do you want the red or blue toothbrush?”
“Do you want to brush first or let me help first?”
“Your bathroom or mommy’s bathroom?”
DESCRIBE:
Talk about what you’re doing and/or what your child is doing.
“I’m putting toothpaste on the toothbrush.”
“Your toothpaste tastes like bubblegum.”
PRETEND PLAY:
Sometimes getting teeth brushed and flossed can be challenging. Try taking turns and pretending to be the dentist and patient.
“Ahh..open mouth. Let’s floss first. 1,2,3,4…wow you have a lot of teeth!” “We can play dentist. Let's count your teeth. I need to clean your teeth. We need floss and a toothbrush.”
FOLLOW DIRECTIONS
Try just one-step for younger toddlers. If your child is older, try adding in more steps. This is also a great way to make sure your child understands the meaning of action words associated with brushing their teeth.
“Open your mouth big”, “Smile”, “Brush your back teeth'“, “Spit in the sink”
BONUS: Make it fun! Turn the task into a song and sing while they brush!
Song 1
Brusha-brusha-brusha
brusha-brusha-brusha
brusha-brusha-brusha
brush your teeth!
Song 2
Brush your teeth. Go up and down.
Brush your teeth. Go round and round.
Brush your teeth. Go left to right.
Brush your teeth in the morning and night!
Vocabulary & Concepts
TRY THIS NO-CURRICULUM APPROACH TO TEACHING YOUR CHILD EARLY VOCABULARY and CONCEPTS.
Brushing our teeth can be a learning experience. We want to help you recognize all of the opportunities using foundational vocabulary and basic concepts. The language that we use in daily routines often carry over into other daily interactions as well as early academic skills.
HERE’S A VOCABULARY LIST TO GET YOUR STARTED.
Add any others that may be unique to your family or child.
Nouns: toothbrush, toothpaste, tube, floss, mouthwash, sink, faucet, teeth, face, jaw, lips, tongue,
Verbs: brush, squeeze, floss, rinse, squish, spit, turn water or electric toothbrush on/off, twist cap on/off
Descriptors: hard/soft, describe taste of toothpaste, colors
LEVEL UP YOUR CHILD’S LANGUAGE SKILLS WITH THESE BASIC CONCEPTS!
Basic concepts are the words that children need to understand in order to participate in everyday tasks, follow directions, and engage in conversation. Below are 10 basic concepts and examples of how to incorporate them while brushing your toddler’s teeth.
ON/OFF: turn the lights on/off in bathroom; turn the faucet on/off
UP/DOWN: pair the word with the motion while brushing up and down
IN/OUT: put the toothbrush or toothpaste in the drawer or take it out of the drawer/cabinet/container
OPEN/CLOSE: open/close the door, open/close toothpaste, open/close mouth for brushing
FRONT/BACK: while brushing or flossing front teeth and back
TOP/BOTTOM: while brushing or flossing top teeth and bottom
A LOT/A LITTLE: how much toothpaste to put on the toothbrush
HOT/COLD: point out hot vs. cold on the faucet
FAST/SLOW: have fun and brush fast and then slow
BEFORE/AFTER: before, we brush our teeth we put toothpaste on our toothbrush; after we brush, we rinse and spit
If you like the idea of having a list to work from and bite-sized prompts (like this daily routine), imagine having a concept list for the toys you already own! It’s just the tool for allowing you to be playful, yet practical.
Transform your play time to playful learning.
Click below and get ready to enhance your child’s language development! It’s structured yet flexible enough for you to adjust your child’s learning experience based on their interests and needs.
NEED A GAME PLAN?
TRY THE 2-1-1 framework
This is for the parents who want to skip the lengthy explanations and get to the point. You're going to choose 2 concepts, 1 vocabulary or power word, and 1 strategy to work on with your child for the week.
EXAMPLE:
2 Concepts: top/bottom
Take inventory of what toys you can use for these concepts. For example, use blocks to put one on the “top” and one on the “bottom”
Consider your daily routine. Model the words top/bottom when brushing teeth.
1 Power Word: open
Model this when it’s relevant. (ie. when your child opens their mouth to brush their teeth or wants you to open a snack.)
1 Strategy: Describe the taste of the toothpaste or the color of the toothbrush. (Ie. size, shape, color, or function)
CURIOUS TO KNOW MORE ways you can enhance your child’s language development from home?
Give our popular 7-Day Email Series a go! Click below to subscribe and we’ll pass on our quick, practical tips for incorporating early vocabulary and concepts into your daily routine.
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SOURCE:
Cheslock, M., & Kahn, S. (2011). Supporting families and caregivers in everyday routines. The ASHA Leader. https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.ftr1.16112011.10
