Healthy Little Smiles

Healthy Little Smiles is a part of the Healthy Families, Healthy Smiles program. It offers training, useful resources and fun play-based activities to support early childhood educators, supported playgroup facilitators and library Storytime facilitators to promote good oral health in a positive way for children aged 0-5 and their families.

Professional training and resources

Training Opportunities

eLearning - Healthy Little Smiles: series

A self-paced online course for professionals working with children aged 0-5 and their caregivers.

Includes 3 modules (30-40 mins each), start with the Let's brush module.

Workshop (in-person or virtual)

1-hour session for supported playgroup facilitators.
For more information contact: healthpromotion@dhsv.org.au

Resources

Healthy Teeth Activity Book
Play-based activities, songs and storybook ideas to support oral health playgroup sessions.

Training Opportunities

eLearning - Healthy Little Smiles for educators

A self-paced online module for early childhood educators and other staff working in early childhood services.

The course takes around 1-hour to complete.

Workshop (in-person or virtual)

1-hour session for early childhood education and care staff.
For more information contact: healthpromotion@dhsv.org.au

Resources

Healthy Little Smiles Resource Book
Information and guidance to help you embed oral health in your daily practices.

Training Opportunities

eLearning - Healthy Little Smiles: series

A self-paced online course for professionals working with children aged 0-5 and their caregivers.

Includes 3 modules (30-40 mins each), start with the Let's brush module.

Resources

Healthy Little Smiles at Storytime
Play-based activities, songs and storybook ideas to support oral health Storytime sessions

Play-based learning activities

Show me your smile
Talk to the children about what their teeth and mouth do before asking them to draw their smiles on the blank face outline

Silly smile mask
Make a silly smile mask using a paper plate cut in half. Invite children to colour in the mouth and draw some teeth.

Create-a-monster
These monsters have lost their teeth! Let's give them some. Invite children to cut and paste the monster teeth onto the monster outline.

Let's talk teeth
Ask children to look at their teeth in a mirror and talk about what they can see. This is a great activity to do with younger children.

Self Portraits
Encourage children to explore the different parts of their head - their ears, eyes, nose and mouth - and talk about what these body parts do.

A sensory food adventure
This activity helps children explore foods in a slow and pressure-free way using each of their senses.

Fruit'n'veg rainbow
Children cut and paste different coloured fruit and vegetables onto a rainbow template.

Eat colours everyday
Talk about how eating a variety of different coloured foods every day can help keep our teeth, mouth and bodies healthy then colour in VACCHO's healthy deadly lunchboxes colouring-in sheets.

The animals are thirsty
Read this book with children and then discuss why the animals need water. Link this to why water is the best drink for our teeth.

Let's brush Chomper's teeth!
A child friendly toothbrushing demonstration. Continue the fun with songs and storybooks about brushing your teeth.

Let's brush the giant's teeth
Invite children to practice their brushing skills on some giant teeth.

Brush off the monsters
Talk to children about keeping teeth clean and healthy. Invite them to practice brushing 'bacteria monsters' off a laminated picture of teeth.

Bedtime routine
In this activity children and parents/caregivers work together to make a bedtime routine chart that they can follow each night.

Dental visit
This dramatic play activity can help prepare children for the sights and sounds of the dental clinic and what to expect when they have a dental checkup.

Make a dental bib
Invite children to decorate their own dental bib. Encourage children to take it to their next visit to the dental clinic to show their oral health professional.

Songs and storybooks

Storybooks about teeth

Storybooks about visiting the dental clinic

Songs about teeth

To share with families

Take home resources

Let's brush decal
Child friendly toothbrushing guide that can be stuck on the bathroom mirror.

6 tips to help kids brush
Our best tips to make toothbrushing fun!

Caring for teeth and gums 0-6 years
All the information families need to help them care for children's teeth and gums right from the start. Available in a range of languages.

Keeping teeth healthy
Eat well, Drink well, and Clean well key messages for children aged 0-5 years.

Deadly tooth tips - Brochure
Eat well, Drink well, and Clean well key messages for children aged 0-5 years. Artwork by Madison Connors, a proud and strong Yorta Yorta (Wolithica), Dja Dja Wurrung and Kamilaroi woman.

Tooth brushing charts

It's fun to brush

Children's deadly toothbrushing chart
Children's deadly toothbrushing colouring-in chart
Artwork by Shakara Montalto, a proud Gunditjmara woman.

Inserts for newsletters, social media or communication apps

Healthy Little Smiles social media kit
Healthy Little Smiles social media kit instructions

Keeping teeth healthy social media kit

Deadly tooth tips social media kit

Posters

Deadly tooth tips
Create a display using these posters in spaces where families will see them.