Head Start offers child development programs that serve low-income children from birth to age five and their families. It developed a comprehensive curriculum to teach young children about the importance of dental health. The program is available online.
Each lesson includes a description of its purpose, a list of materials required, background information for the teacher, lesson plan, and list of activities to help reinforce the lesson.
The curriculum includes lessons on:
- Visiting the dentist
- The importance of keeping teeth and gums clean
- Tooth brushing
- Wise food choices for a healthy mouth
- Keeping teeth safe
The lessons are designed to involve children. For example, the tooth-brushing lesson includes the song, "This is the Way We Brush Our Teeth," sung to the tune of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush." Children pretend they are brushing their teeth as they sing:
This is the way we brush our teeth,
Brush our teeth, brush our teeth,
This is the way we brush our teeth,
Move to the front.
(Repeat)
This is the way we brush our teeth,
Brush our teeth, brush our teeth,
This is the way we brush our teeth,
Clean the insides too.
(Repeat)
This is the way we brush our teeth
Brush our teeth, brush our teeth,
This is the way we brush our teeth,
Scrub where we chew.
To download all or part of the Head Start Dental Health Curriculum, go to www.bmcc.org/Headstart/Dental.
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