Fun with Teeth Projects: Preschool Dental Art
Dental health is important for people of all ages. Use the following teeth projects preschool children will love to teach your young students about dental care.
Cleaning Off the Plaque
By making teeth projects, preschool kids learn about their teeth and how to keep them healthy. You can help them understand the importance of cleaning off plaque by letting them make this project. Give each student a white piece of posterboard to color with crayons, and make sure that they cover almost all of the paper. Then let them paint over the picture with yellow nontoxic paint. Although the picture should be entirely obscured, they can use a penny to scrape off some of the paint - or “plaque” - to make a new and interesting design. You can use black paint in order to make the project a bit more eye-catching, but the yellow paint will get your point across more effectively. Don’t forget to teach kids about the importance of brushing and flossing with these dental health lesson plans.
Tooth Floss Painting
Teeth projects don’t need to require expensive or hard-to-find art supplies. In fact, kids can have a lot of fun by using a plain piece of dental floss, some paint, and a simple piece of paper to make dental floss paintings. Show them how to dip the floss into paint, lay it over the piece of paper, fold the piece of paper in half, and then pull the floss out. The paint will make fun designs! Make sure to use plenty of different colors for the best effect, and use a new piece of dental floss for each new color.
You can even help them write a message about flossing across the dental floss painting after it dries. Ideas include “Floss each day to keep the plaque away!” and “Flossing is fun!” Hang up the floss paintings on a bulletin board to publicize the importance of flossing.
Edible Imprints
Many kids are interested in the imprints that orthodontists and other dental professionals make of people’s teeth, even if they’re not old enough to have had their own imprints taken. You can help them make their own imprints by making some edible playdough, thickening it with extra flour until it has a stronger consistency, and then letting them flatten it and place it between their teeth to make imprints. They will enjoy looking at the imprints and counting the spots that show their teeth. After the playdough dries, they can even paint the imprints.
What Big Teeth You Have!
This is one of the most unique teeth projects preschool kids will ever make. Cut apart the two layers of a white foam egg carton, and let kids paint the top and the bottom of the carton red (for lips), keeping the white egg holders paintless (as the teeth). Attach the two parts of the carton together so that the “teeth” touch each other and tie the two of them together by holepunching the backs and tying some yarn through the holes. Then give each preschooler two large white pompoms and two googly eyes, and show them how to glue the eyes on top of the carton so that they form the top section of the face. Kids can then open and close the mouth to make the teeth “chomp.” The kids will love to play with their creations!
