The Best Oral Hygiene Promotion Activities with Plush Toys
Plush toys are incredibly important for the child’s development as they help them understand their emotions and the world around them. Like many adults, kids are afraid and repulsed by something they don’t comprehend fully or simply lose interest to learn more about the material due to the given reason.
As it is entirely clear to us why we need to maintain the oral hygiene routine, the children don’t get the importance of it the same way we do. This is why we need to create a healthy habit of brushing and flossing step by step and make sure that they adopt it without perceiving it as a particularly bothersome chore.
The best way to do it is through playing and having fun, and it is not rare that the parents and the health educators will also have a wonderful time doing so. Without further ado, we present you with some creative ideas you can use the plush toys to gain the little one’s interest in oral hygiene.
Kids Don’t Ever Get Enough of Roleplay!
Roleplay encourages imagination and creativity but also improves their communicational skills, and the kids just naturally adore doing it. Also, it allows them to develop cognitive thinking as they need to actively participate in the game and make their own decisions.
When it comes to oral health promotion, role play with plush toys offers endless possibilities. One can pretend to be the dentist and the other patient, and vice versa. In both cases, the commonly stressful occasion of visiting the dentist’s office seems like a fun thing to do.
Kids tend to develop a trustworthy relationship with their plush toys, so if you pick the right words and advice, it could have the most positive effect on the way they perceive dental hygiene. Explaining to them why we need to brush and floss through their favorite character will be acknowledged much faster.
Then, you can switch roles and ask them a few questions to see where they stand. Remember that you need to be patient and calm, but always ready to adapt to the child’s current mood even if it means that you need to switch the topic and then return to it later.
Using the Plush Toys to Practice Tooth Brushing
For this activity, you’ll get the best results if having a dental plush toy that comes with adequately positioned teeth and separable jaws. They have a specific task to let the kids learn more about the teeth themselves and practice the toothbrushing techniques without getting injured or experiencing discomfort.
Still, they will try to perform the activities with care and in the right manner as they don’t want to ‘hurt’ the toy. This is a fantastic way to develop the correct tooth brushing and flossing method that you are going to show them.
Also, the teeth that the dental toys have to look attractive and healthy, and this is the time to explain to the kids what they should do to have similar ones. They will gradually understand that the teeth need proper daily care so they can remain strong and healthy. Besides brushing, dental toys can be used for flossing as well.
Plush Toys Can Comfort the Kids Once They Are at the Dentist’s Office
Whether you are a pediatric dentist or a parent or caregiver who guides the child to the appointment, having a plush toy beside them will make them feel more comfortable and relaxed.
We advise dentists to have dental plush toys at their practices since it makes the procedure more enjoyable for both parties involved. Still, a child can bring their favorite plush toy from home and get a similar calming effect.
Before the treatment begins, the dentist can play a little pretend game with the young patient and create a secure atmosphere that the child will greatly appreciate. If the kid is about to get braces or they are to be considered soon, dental plush toys also come with the added orthodontics, so once they see that the toys that wear them don’t look so scary at all, they will not feel so threatened by braces in the end.
Could the Plush Toys Be Used by the Oral Health Educator?
Being an oral health educator is incredibly fulfilling yet quite exhausting at times. You need to keep a large group of children interested in the matter they are not naturally attracted to. This is where the plush toys can help you.
Whichever activity and topic that you need to cover for the presentation can include plush toys as an effective demonstrating tool and a secure way to have fun. The kids will gladly adopt new valuable information if they hear it from a funny-looking large dental plush toy, and you might be surprised how exciting this can be for you too!
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