Activity 1: Story Time! Copy

Explain to your child that besides brushing our teeth every day, we also need to eat food that can make our teeth healthier and stronger.

Use the poster to introduce them to food that can make your teeth stronger, and food that can cause our teeth to decay.

• Foods such as eggs, fish, shrimps, milk, and cheese make your teeth stronger because they contain calcium that is essential for our teeth.
• Sugary food such as cakes, chocolate, sweets, and ice cream can cause cavities in our teeth making our teeth decay.

Now, point to the boy in the poster who has a toothache. Ask your child to observe the boy in the poster and to remember any of his/her own experiences where he/she had felt toothache. Ask your child what does he/she believe to be the cause of the toothache?
Discuss the inference your child is making between the discomfort of the toothache and its cause.

Explain to your child that the food we eat, especially sugary food, will leave some residue on our teeth. Germs and bacteria will eat the food residue, producing corrosive acid on the teeth. The acid will corrode the teeth and cause it to decay, leaving tiny holes and cavities on the teeth. This is why we need to brush our teeth regularly to clean away the residues.