These dental cutting strips are such a fun option when it comes to free preschool printables. They’re a good reminder of the importance of dental health. And they’re great for practicing fine motor skills!
One of my favorite things about the dental cutting strips is their versatility. Based on your preferences and the needs of your students, they can be used in so many different ways. And to top that off, they’re super low prep. Just a few quick steps and they’re ready for students to use!
So, let’s get this right. The tooth health strips promote healthy habits. They are great fine motor practice. They’re versatile. And they’re easy to set up? It’s a preschool teacher miracle!
Scroll to the bottom of this post to get your copy of the dental health strips today. Print them out, set up your chosen activity, and let the kids have fun while learning and honing new skills.
Dental Cutting Strips
The dental cutting strips can be used in a variety of preschool units: all about me, people in the community (dentist), an entire unit focused on dental health, and many others.
Or they can be used periodically throughout the year as a reminder for the children to keep their teeth nice and clean!
How to Prep the Dental Health Fine Motor Printable
This activity requires very little in the way of materials and prep. Here’s what you’ll need (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):
- Free printable dental health cutting strips (scroll down!)
- Printer
- Copy Paper
- Scissors or paper trimmer
And that’s it! That’s all you’ll need to get started.
Of course, you might need a few other materials once the dental cutting strips are in use. Here are some ideas:
- Kid’s Fiskars scissors
- Adaptive scissors
- Tooth stickers
- Laminator and laminating pockets
- Dry-erase pockets
- Dry-erase markers
- Colorful tooth erasers
- Play dough
- Shallow tray
- Toothbrushes
- Kids toothpaste
Now that you’ve got the materials squared away, it’s time for the simple prep work. First, print out your copy of the dental cutting strips, making sure to print as many copies as needed. Next, cut the strips apart.
Finally, laminate the printables or place them in dry erase pockets. Now they’re ready to use!
How Kids Can Use the Dental Cutting Strips
To start, I’d recommend having a conversation with students about dental health. Make sure they know the names of each picture on the dental cutting strips. Talk about brushing and flossing. Ask if there are any special tooth-brushing routines they may have each morning or night. And be sure to emphasize the importance of healthy dental hygiene habits.
Next, model appropriate ways to use the cutting strips. Preferably in small groups to ensure each student understands expectations. Then add the strips to your literacy center for independent practice.
Here are a few ways to use the strips with your students:
- Use them as cutting strips, as the name suggests. Model how to use the scissors and turn the paper to cut along the path as needed. Some students might not be ready for regular scissors yet. Have some adaptive scissors on hand so they can still participate in the activity independently.
Related: Pirate Cutting Practice
- Set the strips out with a sheet of tooth stickers. Students can peel and stick the stickers along the paths on each strip.
- Pop the strips into dry-erase pockets or laminate them. Then let students use dry-erase markers to trace over each pattern.
- Students will strengthen hand and finger muscles as they roll out playdough snakes. Then they can use the snakes to trace over the lines on each strip.
More Ways to Use the Dentist Cutting Practice Sheets
Looking for even more ways to integrate the dental cutting strips in your lesson plans? If so, here are a few more ideas:
- Pair the dental fine motor strips with small manipulatives, like colorful tooth erasers. Encourage students to line them up along each path with a left-to-right directionality. For an extra challenge, have students create a pattern with the erasers as they go.
Related: Make the Most of Mini Erasers
- Create an interactive sensory play activity using the strips. First, cut out the strips and then laminate them. Then place them in a shallow tray along with a small cup of water, a small tube of toothpaste, and a toothbrush. Finally, students can wet the toothbrush and use a small dollop of toothpaste to “brush” each pattern. But be sure to remind students to keep the toothbrushes out of their mouths. And keep a few extra toothbrushes on hand for this activity, just in case!
As you can see, there are tons of great ways to use the dental cutting strips with students! And this list is certainly not exhaustive. I’m sure you can come up with a few clever ways to use the fine motor strips, too!
What Skills are Kids Practicing with the Dental Fine Motor Printable?
These activity ideas sound like so much fun! And that’s always the goal at Fun-A-Day! But we can’t underestimate the children’s ability to learn while also having fun. In my experience, young children are always, always learning! And these activities are no exception.
Here are just a few things the kids will be learning with the fine motor strips, along with some skills they’ll be building along the way:
- All about dental hygiene and its importance
- Fine motor skills
- Left to right progression
- Hand strengthening
- Scissor skills
- Pencil grip
- Counting
- Patterns
See? So much fun and learning, all wrapped up in one free printable! And this list just skims the surface. The opportunities for learning will grow and evolve based on the activities you choose.
How will you use the dental cutting strips with your students? Either way, they’ll be learning and having fun all the while. Be sure to let us know if you have any new activity ideas in the comments below!
Remember to scroll to the bottom of this post to get your own copy of the free printable dental cutting strips!
More Dental Health Activities for Kids
Looking for some other activities to emphasize dental health in the preschool classroom? Here are a few:
- Dental Playdough Mats
- Playdough Flossing Activity
- Dental Shape Mats
- Teeth Roll and Cover Math Game
- Dental Health Preschool Song Printable
- Brush Your Teeth Craft
- Toothpaste Slime
I think they pair well with the dental cutting strips!
Dental Health Lesson Plans
Lesson plans, prep, gathering materials, classroom management, building relationships with students, and everything in between! Being a good teacher takes a lot of time, dedication, and hard work. Let Preschool Teacher 101 help you with fully-developed resources.
We have hundreds of done-for-you preschool lesson plans, activity packs, classroom management resources, and more. Part of our mission is to minimize the burden of time consuming lesson planning, so you can focus on being the teacher you want to be!
Our Preschool Dental Lessons product has a variety of activities incorporating reading, math, science, and more! Click on the image below to learn more about this product.
Did the Dental Lesson Plans pique your interest? We have more where that came from. Click on the images for more information about each of the dental-themed resources:
If these activities align well with your teaching style and the needs of your students, consider a Preschool Teacher 101 Membership. Members get regular access to our products at a discounted rate.
Get the Dental Cutting Strips Printable
The dental fine motor free printable is available to members of Fun-A-Day’s free email community. If you’re a member, fill out the form below and the download links will be sent to your inbox. If you’re not a member, you can join us by entering your information in the form. Then you’ll receive the printable as a welcome gift!
Be sure to check out my printing FAQ page if you run into any issues.
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