Teaching Kit
Designed to meet these objectives:
Health
• Students will develop healthy habits.
• Students will learn to care for their teeth and gums.
Take the mystery out of dentist visits with this kit full of fun, interactive
materials designed especially for young children. The friendly dentist
puppet can’t wait to tell little ones about her job—and alleviate any
fears they may have about visiting the dentist! Photo cards, an easy-toread book, dental X-ray, and a real mouth mirror, dental bib, and neck
clip round out the set. It’s perfect for promoting classroom discussions
about health and taking good care of our teeth.
Inside this guide, you’ll find detailed suggestions for using each of the
kit’s components, along with extension activities you can use to reinforce
your students’ new knowledge.
What’s Included
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Soft-sewn, friendly dentist puppet
3 photo cards with discussion questions
Going to the Dentist book
Dental X-ray
Real mouth mirror, dental bib, and neck clip
Note: The puppet can be machine-washed and tumble-dried. Place
the puppet in a pillowcase. Machine-wash in cold water on the gentle
cycle. Tumble-dry on low heat.
© 2007 Lakeshore
(800) 428-4414
www.lakeshorelearning.com
JJ818
Ages 3+
Printed in China
Using the Kit
Dentist Puppet
Use the puppet as a “spokesperson” to guide discussions about dentist
visits. Give her a friendly voice and have her introduce herself to the
children by name. For example, you might have her begin by saying,
“Hi! I’m Doctor Delia, and I’m a dentist! Do any of you know what a
dentist does? Has anyone been to see a dentist?” Use the puppet to
encourage children to ask questions and voice any concerns they may
have about going to the dentist. You may also want to use the dentist
puppet with the photo cards or book as discussed below.
Photo Cards
Each of the three photo cards shows a real-life visit to a dentist,
including a girl learning how to brush her teeth, a girl getting her
teeth cleaned, and a view of a dentist from the dental chair. On the
backs of the cards, you’ll find discussion questions, extension activity
suggestions, and vocabulary words. Use the discussion questions to
get children talking about what they see in the photos. (Have the
dentist puppet ask the questions if desired.) Review the vocabulary
words to make sure children understand them, and then try the
extension activities to reinforce what children are learning.
Going to the Dentist Book
This book features a simple story of a family’s visit to a dentist. Read
the book aloud and talk about the pictures. What is happening in each
picture? Ask if any of your students have been to a dentist. Invite
them to tell their classmates about what happened there. How were
their experiences similar to what happened in the book? How were
they different?
Dental X-Ray
Show children the X-ray and explain that this is a special picture that
shows what the inside of a tooth looks like. Tell children that the
white spots are soft areas called cavities. Explain that cavities are bad
for teeth, but they can be prevented. To prevent cavities, you must
brush and floss every day and visit the dentist regularly.
Mouth Mirror, Dental Bib, and Neck Clip
Use these real objects to make children feel more comfortable with
the instruments and tools that dentists use. Explain that the mirror
helps the dentist see all around our teeth. Use the mirror to pretend
to check the puppet’s teeth so children can see how it is used. Show
children how the neck clip is used to hold the dental bib in place, and
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encourage children to try on the bib or put it on the puppet. Explain
that the bib protects our clothing when the dentist is working on our
teeth.
You might also use the opportunity to talk about other tools that
dentists use, such as the scraper shown on the photo cards.
Extension Activities
Try some of these activities to extend the “dentist visit” theme into
other curriculum areas.
Dramatic Play
Set up a pretend dentist’s office in your dramatic play area. Provide
props such as a flashlight, a white shirt for a lab coat, and so on.
Encourage students to take turns being the dentist and patient, using
information they have learned from the book, photo cards, and classroom discussions.
Dear Dentist
Work as a class to write a letter to a real dentist. Brainstorm a list
of questions children would like to ask. Invite a dentist to visit your
class and talk to your students about their questions.
Draw a Picture
Provide art materials and prompt children to draw pictures of themselves visiting a dentist. Invite volunteers to tell their classmates
about what they have drawn. (Some children may prefer to tell you
instead.) Display the artwork on a bulletin board titled “At the
Dentist’s Office.”
Healthy Snacks
Explain that one way we can protect our teeth is to eat healthy
snacks like nuts or yogurt instead of sugary snacks like cookies or
candy. Ask parents to provide healthy snacks for children to share.
Have children bring in their toothbrushes and use them after each
meal. Remind them to practice the best way to brush.
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