Flossing is a process that may scare your child: after all, they are pressing thing strands through their teeth in a way that can look weird or imposing. However, it is recommended that children should be flossing by the time they are 10. How can you prepare your child for this? By gently introducing it to them with this craft.

Tools You'll Need

The nice thing about this craft is that you don't need many tools. All you need to start are the following items:

• Brown egg carton
• Clay or some type of play dough
• White and red paint
• Paint brushes

The basic process here is simple: you're going to fold the carton to make it look like a mouth, paint the "gums" of the carton, craft clay teeth, paint the teeth, and place bits of play dough on the teeth to floss away.

Folding The Carton

Carefully fold the egg carton backward to create what looks like a mouth filled with teeth. You're going to need an egg carton that includes rounded tops. These can be found in more grocery stores, usually with "bulk" eggs amounts.

Creating The Gums And The Teeth

After creating your "teeth rows" you need to take red paint and and paint around the individual egg carton sections to create a "gum" effect. Let the paint dry for a an hour before moving on to the next step. Once the gums have been painted, clay should be stretched and smoothed over the top of the individual egg cartons sections to create two rows of "teeth."

Let the clay dry before painting it white to get a nice "shine" that looks more like the white of real teeth. If you want, you could have them mold their clay teeth to look like those really in their mouth. While not strictly necessary, it can be a fun artistic endeavor for an artistically-minded child.

Flossing Away The Food

After you are finished molding your teeth, take small bits of multi-colored play dough and stick it in the places between the teeth. Now, your children take their floss and carefully scrape away these bits. This helps get them used to the idea of manipulating the floss and maneuvering it between teeth. Let them practice this way for a few weeks before they try out flossing on their own.

When it comes time to floss for real, your children will better understand the process. Yes, it is fairly simple, but gaining the necessary coordination can make it easier for them to start flossing their own teeth. And this will help keep their teeth in great condition and your dentist smiling.