Toothbrush painting is a fun twist on traditional painting and is a great way to teach toddlers and preschoolers about the importance of dental health. This activity was one we did every year during my years as a home daycare provider during our dental health preschool theme but it makes a wonderful homeschool health lesson or fun art activity for kids.

What You Need

Tooth template

Yellow paper

Toothbrush (regular or electric)

White paint

What to Do

Kids often don’t understand why it is so important to brush their teeth well at least two times a day. Many kids rush through brushing their teeth and miss spots that can develop into cavities. Kids can develop a better understanding of why they need to brush their teeth thoroughly every time by seeing a visual demonstration.

Give each child a yellow piece of paper. Tell the kids that yellow tartar can form on your teeth and cause cavities if you don’t brush it off. Put some white paint on a paper plate or in another container and instruct kids to use the toothbrush to brush the “tartar” off their paper tooth by painting it white.

As the children paint their tooth white, you can discus the importance of good dental health.