Establishing healthy dental habits early in life creates the foundation for lifelong oral health.
For preschoolers, learning about dental care through engaging, age-appropriate activities transforms what might seem like mundane hygiene routines into fun activities.
We’ve collected the most effective and entertaining dental health activities designed specifically for young kids.
From playful tooth-brushing games that make daily oral care enjoyable to creative crafts that illustrate dental concepts in tangible ways, these activities blend education with imagination.
These hands-on experiences will help young children understand why and how to care for their precious smiles.
1. Dental Scissor Skills
This idea involves creating dental-themed scissor skills activities for kids. Have children cut along the lines to improve their scissor skills while learning about dental health. Use different colors and textures for added interest, and provide guidance on proper scissor use and safety.
Learn more: Instagram/Kiddie Tales
2. Brush Your Teeth!
This idea involves a “Brush Your Teeth!” activity using a toothbrush on a large tooth model. Provide children with toothbrushes and a mixture of water and baking soda to simulate toothpaste. Encourage them to “brush” the tooth model, demonstrating proper brushing techniques and emphasizing the importance of dental hygiene.
Learn more: Paper and Glue
3. Toothpaste Slime
This idea involves creating toothpaste slime as a fun, dental-themed activity. Mix equal parts of white glue and liquid starch, then add a small amount of toothpaste for color and scent
Learn more: Still Playing School
4. Teeth Number Games
This idea involves teeth number games to teach kids counting and number recognition. Create a large tooth chart with numbered spaces. Provide children with small tooth-shaped cutouts.
Learn more: Totschooling
5. Dental Count and Match
This activity helps kids practice counting and matching skills. Create a set of cards with images of different numbers of teeth on one side and corresponding numbers on the other.
Learn more: Fun Learning for Kids
6. Mr. Toothy
This idea involves creating “Mr. Toothy” using paper and cotton balls. Start by drawing a large tooth outline on a sheet of paper. Have children glue cotton balls inside the outline to fill in the tooth, giving it a fluffy texture.
Learn more: Preschool Play and Learn
7. Tooth Sight Word Activity
This idea involves a “Tooth Sight Word” activity to enhance kids’ reading skills. Write sight words on tooth-shaped cutouts and place them in a container. Have children draw a tooth, read the word aloud, and then use it in a sentence.
Learn more: ABC’s Of Literacy
8. Tooth Fairy Letter Sort
Have children sort the letter cards in containers. This activity is engaging and educational, reinforcing alphabet knowledge while adding a magical Tooth Fairy theme.
Learn more: Child Care Land
9. Brush Santa!
This idea involves a “Brush Santa!” activity to teach kids the importance of brushing teeth. Create a Santa face with a big smile on a poster board. Smear stain on Santa’s teeth to simulate plaque.
Learn more: TES
10. Toothy Number and Letter Match
Create tooth-shaped cards with numbers on one set and letters on another. Have children match the number cards with the corresponding letter cards (e.g., 1 with A, 2 with B).
This activity makes learning numbers and letters engaging, reinforcing foundational skills while incorporating a fun dental theme.
Learn more: Live Laugh I Love Kinder
11. Tip Toe Teeth Letter Matching
Create tooth-shaped cutouts with letters on them and spread them across the floor. Call out a letter and have children tiptoe to the corresponding tooth.
This activity combines learning with physical activity, making it fun and interactive while reinforcing letter recognition.
Learn more: Live Laugh I Love Kindergarten
12. Teeth with Play Dough!
This idea involves a “Teeth with Play Dough!” activity focusing on flossing. Create tooth shapes with play dough and place them on trays.
Provide children with string or yarn to use as dental floss. Have them practice “flossing” between the play dough teeth, demonstrating proper technique and reinforcing the importance of flossing.
Learn more: Sugar Spice and Beauty
13. Dental Health Art
This idea involves “Dental Health Art” where kids paint a large tooth model with white paint. Provide a large, tooth-shaped cutout or model and let children use brushes to paint it white, simulating a clean, healthy tooth.
Learn more: Play To Learn Preschool
14. Happy Tooth Construction Paper Craft
This idea involves a “Happy Tooth Construction Paper Craft” where kids create cheerful tooth characters. Provide construction paper in various colors, along with scissors, glue, and markers. Have children cut out tooth shapes and decorate them with happy faces, wiggly eyes, and bright colors.
Learn more: Fun Learning Life
15. Race to Lose a Tooth
Create a board game or path with tooth-themed spaces and activities, such as trivia questions or mini-challenges related to dental hygiene. As children advance along the path, they learn about teeth and oral care.
Learn more: Toddler Approved
16. Dental Themed Letter Tracing
Print worksheets with letter shapes designed as dental tools or teeth. Have children trace the letters using crayons or markers, following the dental-themed outlines. This activity combines letter recognition with a fun dental twist, reinforcing both writing skills and dental health awareness.
Learn more: Preschool Play and Learn
17. Brush Away the ABC Germs
Write letters on the bottom of ice trays and fill them with a mixture of water and food coloring to simulate germs. Freeze to create letter-shaped ice cubes. Turn the trays upside down to release the letter-shaped cubes, and give children popsicle sticks to use as toothbrushes.
Learn more: Growing Book by Book
18. Popsicle Stick Toothbrushes
This idea involves making “Popsicle Stick Toothbrushes” for a fun, hands-on dental craft. Provide popsicle sticks and markers or paint. Have children decorate the popsicle sticks to resemble toothbrushes, adding details like bristles and handles
Learn more: Glued To My Crafts Blog
19. Good or Bad For The Teeth?
Label one tray “Good” and the other “Bad.” Provide a selection of food and drink items, such as fruits, vegetables, sugary snacks, and drinks. Have children sort the items into the appropriate trays based on their impact on dental health
Learn more: The Children Montessori Academy
20. Dental Playdough Mats
Create printable mats with various dental-themed images, such as teeth, toothbrushes, and dental tools. Have children use playdough to fill in or decorate the images on the mats, such as creating teeth with different textures.
Learn more: Fun A Day
21. Tooth Floss
Fill a zip-lock bag with clear gel or hair gel and add pieces of yarn or string to simulate dental floss. Include small tooth-shaped beads or cutouts to represent plaque.
Seal the bag and have children move their fingers around to simulate flossing between the teeth, helping them understand the importance of flossing while engaging in a sensory activity.
Learn more: Sea of Knowledge
22. Tooth Printable Mask
Have children color and decorate the mask, then cut it out and attach string or elastic to wear it. This craft combines creativity with a focus on dental health, making it a playful way to engage kids in learning about teeth.
Learn more: Easy, Peasy and Fun
23. Germs Cleaning Activity
Print activity sheets featuring images of germs or dirty surfaces. Provide children with markers or crayons and a printable “cleaning tool” like a sponge or brush.
Have them color the germs and then use the cleaning tool image to “wipe away” the germs by drawing over the areas.
Learn more: Made By Teachers
24. Remove Those Cavities!
Create a large mouth model from cardboard or paper with chocolate smeared on it to simulate cavities. Provide children with small toothbrushes and a mixture of water and baking soda as “toothpaste.” Have them clean the chocolate from the mouth model, demonstrating how brushing helps remove plaque and prevent cavities.
Learn more: Instagram/dumplinreadsubam
25. Alphabet Teeth Cleaning
This idea involves “Remove Those Cavities!” using a mouth model with alphabet letters. Create a large mouth model with letters on the teeth to represent cavities. Provide children with cleaning tools, such as small brushes or cloths, and a container of soapy water.
Learn more: Totschooling
26. Model Mouth Craft
This idea involves a “Model Mouth Craft” using marshmallows to create a 3D model of a mouth. Provide mini marshmallows and red construction paper. Have children use toothpicks or sticks to attach marshmallows to create the teeth and gums on a base.
Learn more: Teaching Mama
27. Teeth Brushing Chart
Create a colorful chart with daily brushing tasks, including morning and evening sessions. Use stickers or markers to track each brushing session. Include fun elements like reward stickers for consistent brushing and reminders about proper brushing techniques.
Learn more: Preschool Play and Learn
28. I Brush My Teeth Booklet and Craft
This idea involves creating an “I Brush My Teeth” booklet and craft for preschoolers. Design a simple booklet with pages showing each step of brushing teeth, including pictures and short, easy-to-read text. Include interactive elements like flaps or cut-outs that reveal tips about dental care.
Learn more: Kids Soup
29. Painting With Toothbrushes
This idea involves “Painting with Toothbrushes” for a creative art activity. Provide children with old toothbrushes, paint, and paper. Have them dip the toothbrushes in paint and use them to create textured, colorful designs on the paper.
Learn more: Mom to 2 Posh Lil’ Divas
30. Brush And Splash
Set up a sensory bin with water and floating objects like toy teeth or plastic dental tools. Provide children with small brushes and encourage them to “brush” the floating objects while splashing in the water.
Learn more: Teach Preschool
31. Toothbrush Painting
Provide children with old toothbrushes, various colors of paint, and paper. Have them dip the toothbrushes into the paint and use the bristles to create textures and patterns on the paper.
Learn more: Printable Pre-K Fun
32. Learn Patterns Using Toothbrush
Design a printable sheet with simple patterns, such as alternating stripes or dots, and include toothbrush illustrations. Have children use a colored marker or crayon to trace the patterns and complete them
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
33. Dental Health Color Match Game
Create a set of cards or cutouts with different colors that correspond to the colors of the items: the cup, toothbrush, and toothpaste. Provide children with the items and have them match the color cards to each object. T
Learn more: Wunder Kiddy
34. Tooth Collage
Provide a large tooth-shaped cutout and magazines or printable images of healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. Have children cut out or tear the food pictures and glue them onto the tooth cutout.
Learn more: Artsy Momma
35. I Love My Teeth Crown
Provide construction paper, markers, stickers, and scissors. Have children decorate strips of construction paper with designs and messages like “I Love My Teeth” and colorful dental-themed decorations. Assemble the strips into crowns and fit them to size
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers