February is National Children’s Dental Health Month … a perfect time for a dental health unit. Of course, focusing on dental health is great at any time of year.
Today, I have free printables and activities for a dental health unit in case you’d like to have a dental health unit in February (or any time). Of course, you’ll find a new printable pack (a Montessori-inspired dental health pack) for our newsletter subscribers’ resource library!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Montessori Shelves with Dental Health Themed Activities
Montessori Shelves with Dental Heath Themed Activities
You’ll find Montessori-inspired dental health numbers, letters, and and more (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber).
Note: The Montessori-inspired dental health pack isn’t designed as a complete dental health unit but as supplemental materials. I design the packs using realistic images that I’ve often looked for when preparing a unit study (such as font cards and phonogram cards featuring the letter and phonogram related to the theme and math cards with realistic images that fit the theme and can be adapted for math activities at a variety of levels.)
You could mix your dental health themed activities among your shelves according to curriculum area. Or you could have a special dental health themed area something like the one pictured. My shelves at the beginning of our unit have a mixture of skill levels. Many of the activities can be adapted for a variety of levels. Many of these are designed for early elementary as well as preschoolers. If you’re a homeschooler, just choose the activities that work for your child’s interests and ability levels. If you don’t have room for all the activities you’d like to do, simply rotate them.
Montessori Shelves with Dental Health Themed Activities and Dentist Art Appreciation
Notice the framed copy of Dr. Georges Viau in his dental office (1914) by Édouard Vuillard. It’s a free download from Wikimedia Commons.
For our monthly featured art print, I purchased a Li’l DAVINCI art frame that opens in the front for easily changing a free art masterpiece printable or vintage illustration to fit with the month’s theme. The frame can be switched from horizontal to vertical without changing the hanger, which is perfect!. It’s a free download from Wikimedia Commons.
If you’re wondering about the rugs and rug box I use, both the rugs and wooden rug holder are from Montessori Services. I love the Montessori Services rugs and rug holder! I used to use an umbrella stand something like these. I loved that for 1-3 rugs, but I needed something different when I had more grandchildren and some projects that needed more than one rug.
Note: For our monthly featured art print, I have a Li’l DAVINCI art frame that opens in the front for easily changing a free art masterpiece printable or vintage illustration to fit with the month’s theme. The frame can be switched from horizontal to vertical without changing the hanger, which is perfect! The only month I don’t use it is in December, when it’s behind our Christmas tree!
Dental Health Books for Kids
Even though I have books on shelves, I’m now keeping many of my themed books in a forward-facing display after placing a bromeliad plant where the themed book basket was before. My seasonal books are now in that book basket.
For toddlers and preschoolers, at least ¾ of the books I use are Montessori friendly (focusing on reality without smiling or talking animals or smiling or talking vehicles). There are a fewer Montessori-style books this month because of the loose tooth books for kindergarten and early elementary (although my preschool-age grandkids love them, too!).
Dental Health Books for Kids
Dental Health Themed Books We’re Using:
Top Shelf of Main Themed Shelf:
Top Shelf of Forward -Facing Display:
- DK/Smithsonian Science (not a lot about teeth but a great reference book that I often use)
- Super Human Encyclopedia (again, not a lot about teeth but a great reference book)
2nd Shelf:
3rd Shelf:
4th Shelf:
- Samia and Her Electric Toothbrush
- My Toothbrush Is Missing (my 3¾-year-old grandson thinks this book is SO funny … and I like it, too!)
- Daniel Goes to the Dentist (a favorite! My copy is from this set, which is super-popular with my two youngest grandkids. It’s also available as a paperback. Be sure to check out my post on Bits of Positivity with Free Daniel Tiger Songs about New Experiences.)
- Pete the Cat and the Lost Tooth
Bottom Shelf
Throw Your Tooth on the Roof Book with Globe
Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World is on a different shelf. It’s a fun book for 4-8 year olds who are or will be loosing their baby teeth and a great way to focus on both teeth and geography! With my younger grandkids, we most often use the Montessori continents globe, but all three of them love the Fun Globe.
You can also see lots of dental health books as they’re published here.
Favorite Shelves, Trays, Baskets, and More for Montessori Homeschoolers
I often get asked about the trays, baskets, etc., that I use, so I published a post with many of the items. You can find lots of helpful resources here. They’re not all essential, so don’t feel you need to have everything. Just choose what’s best for your budget and your unique family’s needs. You’ll find more ideas in the Living Montessori Now Amazon shop.
Parts of a Tooth Puzzle and Labeling with The Tooth Book
Parts of a Tooth Puzzle and Labeling with The Tooth Book
Free Printable: DIY Tooth Puzzle from Kid Lab (Update: The puzzle is no longer available on the blog, but you can see what it looks like on the Kid Lab Facebook page.)
Free Printable: Parts of tooth (mat with words, writing mat and master) by TLC Montessori Materials and More at Teachers Pay Teachers (You could adapt this to make a felt puzzle, too!)
You’ll see these materials on the top left of my themed shelves. There, I have the materials paired with the Montessori-friendly books Why We Go to the Dentist and DK’s A Trip to the Dentist. For the activity on the rug, I’ve included the parts of a tooth shown in The Tooth Book by Edward Miller.
Shelf with DK’s First Human Body Encyclopedia and Dental Health Activities in the Background
Shelf with DK’s First Human Body Encyclopedia and Dental Health Activities in the Background
On the cookbook easel, I show two dental pages from DK’s First Human Body Encyclopedia, a gorgeous book that’s wonderful for many human body studies!
You can see more dental health activities behind the book. They aren’t all free, but they’re lots of fun. The first tray has the Melissa and Doug Dentist Kit. This is a toy kit and not a realistic set, but my grandkids are already in love with it. It’s a lot of fun for role play, which I have the second tray to add to.
The second tray has a free printable Dentist Dramatic Role Play Pack from Little Owls Resources. It has so many fun resources for setting up a “dentist’s office”!
On the second tray, I also have the MEROCO Montessori Practical Life Brushing Teeth Model. I didn’t include the types of teeth cards that come with it because they’re designed for a full adult set of 32 teeth while the tooth model only has 28 teeth. So I’m using the tooth model and wooden toothbrush for the dentist’s tooth brushing demonstration. The types of teeth cards are exactly like the ones you’ll see in my math activity below except they’re already printed out. The wooden tray is a nice size for a number of activities, although it’s a bit too small for all the materials I’m having available on the tray.
Dental Health Writing Tray
Dental Health Sand Writing Tray
Free Printable: Dentist letter d for dental health sand writing tray (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)
You’ll see a variety of simple letter writing trays in my previous unit study posts. I often used the wooden tray from the Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Shapes. You can use whatever tray or container work best for you, though.
I typically now use this lovely spelling/alphabet tray from FamilyTreeWW on Etsy. I love that it has a slot that fits sandpaper letters as well as any type of cardstock! The sandpaper letters I use are available in print or cursive.
If you would like help with introducing phonetic sounds, introducing objects with sounds, or beginning phonics in general, check out my DIY Beginning Montessori Phonics with Preschoolers.
Matching Tooth Alphabet Cards and Beginning Sounds Objects to Sandpaper Letters
Matching Tooth Alphabet Cards and Beginning Sounds Objects to Sandpaper Letters
Free Printable: Tooth alphabet in print (the print and cursive tooth alphabet are included in my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)
I use some lovely language objects from Montessori Services (available as a starter set or individually), Safari Ltd. TOOB figures, and Safari Ltd. Good Luck Minis for beginning sounds activities and movable alphabet spelling.
Here, my 4-year-old granddaughter, Sophia, is matching the tooth alphabet cards in print and beginning sounds objects to a group of sandpaper letters. You can see the groupings I use here.
Brush sh Phonogram Card with sh Booklet
Brush sh Phonogram Card with sh Booklet
Free Printable: Brush “sh” phonogram card (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)
Free Printable: Sh Sound with Letters (made into a booklet) from MontessoriSoul
This is a simple way to reinforce the sh phonogram for kids who are working on the green series.
Matching and Counting Bead Bars with Tooth Number and Learning about Types of Teeth
Matching and Counting Bead Bars with Tooth Number and Learning about Types of Teeth
Free Printable: Dental Health Number Cards 1-32 (There are 32 number cards in this pack in case you want to focus on the number of permanent teeth. These are part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber.)
Free Printable: Teeth Development Nomenclature Cards from The Pinay Homeschooler (These are the same as the nomenclature cards that come with the MEROCO Montessori Practical Life Brushing Teeth Model.)
Free Printable: Dental Lesson Definition Cards (the ones with definitions for premolars molars, incisors, and canines) from The Pinay Homeschooler
Free Printable: Universal Tooth Numbering System from Wikipedia
Free Printables: Baby Teeth and Permanent Teeth Eruption Charts from American Dental Association
My 3¾-year-old grandson, Caleb, enjoys working with bigger numbers, so I introduced him to the differences between the sets of baby teeth and permanent teeth. I had him draw a number card from my hand, and he built and counted the number with bead bars.
Then we looked for the matching tooth from the types of teeth nomenclature cards. Caleb was interested in learning about the different types of teeth! We also read some of the books I have about loosing teeth.
If you look on the left of my bottom themed shelf, you’ll see another printout of the universal tooth numbering system. I laminated it and used it with our homemade white playdough for a “tooth”-making tray. The numbers in the basket are from a Play Doh Fun with Numbers set. The child can make however many teeth he or she wishes on the mat and then make the corresponding number with the number stamps.
I hope you find these printables and activities helpful!
More Free Dental Health Printables
Free Dentist Do-a-Dot Phonics Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
Free Dental Health Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
Montessori-Inspired Dental Health Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my newsletter to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
More Dental Health Resources
- The Ultimate Montessori-Inspired Dental Health Unit
- Free Dental Health Printables and Montessori-Inspired Dental Health Activities
- Free Dentist Do-a-Dot Phonics Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Free Dental Health Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Montessori Activities for Care of Self
- Montessori Self-Care Printables for Multiple Ages
- Dental Health Unit Study Pinterest Board
More Medical Worker Resources
- Free Medical Worker Printables and Montessori-Inspired Medical Worker Activities
- Free Doctor and Nurse Do-a-Dot Printables (Montessori-Inspired Phonics Instant Download)
- Free Medical Worker Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Handwashing Activities for Kids – Free Songs and Lessons
- Fun with Handwashing + Handwashing Song by a 2 Year Old
- Montessori-Inspired Hygiene Lessons to Help Kids Stay Healthy
- Free Songs about Getting a Shot {Kids’ Vaccination Resources}
If you’d like ideas for calendar-based themes throughout January and February, see my January-Themed Activities for Kids and February-Themed Activities for Kids.
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