Home Visit

Tooth Healthy Foods – 3 to 5 Years

Cavity Free Kids > Activities > Home Visit > Tooth Healthy Foods – 3 to 5 Years
15

Supplies and Preparation

  • Two medium-sized baskets, boxes, or containers; one with a happy face and one with a sad face
  • Play foods or pictures of foods—both tooth healthy (fruits, vegetables, cheese, meats, etc.) and tooth unhealthy (cookies, cake, chips, crackers, granola bars, raisins, etc.). Select more tooth healthy than tooth unhealthy foods.

For Optional Activities:

  • “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” song lyrics
  • “Snacks for Healthy Teeth” book by Mari Schuh
  • Pictures of food or wooden or plastic play foods
  • Tooth Healthy Foods!
  • Tooth Healthy and Tooth Unhealthy Foods list

Print PDFs:

Parent Handout - Tooth Healthy Foods

Parent Handout -Tooth Healthy Unhealthy List

Instructions

Starting the Conversation
  • What are some of your child’s favorite foods?
  • How do you feel about the number tooth healthy versus tooth unhealthy foods your child eats each day? (If needed, teach or remind the parent and child what tooth healthy and unhealthy foods are.)
  • What is one tooth healthy food she really likes?
Parent and Child Activity

1 Sort the foods.

  • Play a game to reinforce the types of foods that are tooth healthy and the types that are unhealthy.
  • Display the foods on floor and place the baskets/containers side-by-side.
  • Ask the parent and child to select a piece of food from the display and say if it is tooth healthy or tooth unhealthy and explain why.
  • If the food is tooth healthy, have the parent and child place the food in the basket with the happy face; if the food is tooth unhealthy, have the parent and child place the food in the basket with the unhappy face.
  • Ask the parent and child to select foods they like.
Extending the Learning

A. Sing the song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O,

And on that farm he had some food, E-I-E-I-O,

With an apple here and a carrot there,

Fruits and vegetables everywhere,

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.

And on that farm he had a cow, E-I-E-I-O.

With some good milk here and some good cheese there,

Strong teeth, strong bones, everywhere,

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.

And on that farm he had a hog, E-I-E-I-O.

With some protien here and some iron there,

Strong teeth, strong bones, everywhere,

Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.

B. Read the book “Snacks for Healthy Teeth” by Mari Schuh

C. Time for a Snack

Use pictures or play food to have a make-believe healthy snack or meal together. Model with the parent how to show enthusiasm as you “eat” together. Point out the large amount of healthy foods to choose from.

Related Activities

Share this activity


Activity Index

Tooth Healthy Foods

Goal

Tooth Healthy Foods

Big Bites: Things You Should Know
  • The combination of germs and carbohydrates (sugar and starches) creates an acid that attacks teeth.
  • Cavity causing germs can be passed from a mother or caregiver to a baby through kissing, sharing utensils, or by putting baby’s pacifier in mom’s mouth.
  • Continual snacking on sugary or starchy foods or drinking juice or soda causes repeated acid attacks. Repeated acid attacks cause cavities.
  • Cavities are almost entirely preventable and can be avoided by limiting continual snacking, drinking water instead of juice/soda, by brushing after eat and by making sure mom doesn’t have active tooth decay.
  • White or brown spots on teeth can be early signs of a cavity and a black spot is probably a cavity.
  • Cavities must be treated by a dentist.
  • Untreated cavities can lead to a serious infection.

 

CFK Throughout the Day

Throughout the Classroom
  • Decorate a bulletin board with pictures of dental tools children may see at a dentist office. Label them.
  • Hang a chart in the classroom called “I had a dental check-up.” Create a thermometer visual that you color in as children get their dental check-up.
  • Set up a pretend dental office for dramatic play.   
At Meals and Snacks
  • Ask:  Who’s been to the dentist?  What do you remember about the visit?
While Brushing Teeth
  • Be a role model.  Brush your teeth with the children to show you take care of your teeth too.
  • Talk about making tiny, tickly circles with a toothbrush to clean the food and germs away.
  • Give each child an “I brushed my teeth today” sticker to wear home Tell children the dentist will be so proud of them when he sees how well they have been brushing.
  • Have children pretend their brushes are like the special spinning toothbrush the dentist uses and make a humming noise while they brush.
During Transitions
  • When children are getting ready to go home, put a sticker on each child that says, “Today I learned about visiting the dentist!”

 

Activities for Early Learning