Pre-K · Healthy eating
Smile Snacks
Crunchy fruits, veggies, cheese — and water in the cup! Little learners find out which snacks make teeth happy and which sweets are for sometimes.
What you'll learn
- Students will point to water as the drink teeth love best.
- Students will name one crunchy snack that makes teeth happy.
- Students will repeat that sweet treats are for sometimes, with meals — not all day.
Munch, munch! Snack time is here — and guess what? Your teeth have favorite snacks, just like you!
Snacks that make teeth happy
- Crunchy fruits and veggies — apple slices, carrot sticks. Crunch, crunch, hooray!
- Cheese — little cubes of cheese are tooth favorites.
- Yogurt — the plain kind, without extra sugar.
- And water! Water is the drink teeth love best. It washes your mouth clean with every sip. Splash, splash!
Sometimes-treats
Cookies, candy, and sweet drinks are sometimes-treats. They’re yummy, but they’re full of sugar — and sugar bugs (the sticky stuff on teeth) love sugar a little too much.
Here’s a surprise for your grown-up: juice is a sometimes-drink too! Even 100% juice has lots of sugar hiding inside. Water wins for every day.
When do sometimes-treats visit? With a meal — and after treats, teeth get brushed. That way sugar bugs never get to stay for a sleepover.
Crunchy snack, water cup, happy teeth — you’ve got it! Now play the little quiz below with your grown-up or teacher.
Print & go
Printables for this lesson
The educator plan includes objectives, standards, the step-by-step lesson, and a paper pre/post knowledge check with answer key. The family sheet is bilingual — English and Español on one page.
Standards alignment
Sources
Every health claim in this lesson comes from a primary source and is clinically reviewed before publication.
- Source: ADA MouthHealthy — Nutrition for Babies and Kidsaccessed 2026-07-28
- Source: ADA MouthHealthy — Diet and Dental Healthaccessed 2026-07-28
Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — free for schools and families to use, share, and adapt with credit (non-commercial, share-alike).
Healthy Smiles. Brighter Futures. · atomicsmile.org/learn
Smile Snacks — Educator Lesson Plan
Learning objectives
- Students will point to water as the drink teeth love best.
- Students will name one crunchy snack that makes teeth happy.
- Students will repeat that sweet treats are for sometimes, with meals — not all day.
Standards alignment (NHES)
- NHES 1.2.1 — Identify that healthy behaviors impact personal health. (Standard 1, Pre-K–Grade 2, NHES 2nd ed., 2007)
- NHES 7.2.1 — Demonstrate healthy practices and behaviors to maintain or improve personal health. (Standard 7, Pre-K–Grade 2, NHES 2nd ed., 2007)
Materials
- Snack picture cards or play food — apple, carrot, cheese, water cup, cookie, candy, juice box
- A happy-tooth basket and a sometimes basket for sorting
- Printed pre/post knowledge checks from this packet (one per child, read aloud, used twice)
Procedure
- Pre-check (3 min): read each question aloud and let children point or answer together. Collect the sheets to compare after.
- Warm-up (2 min): rub your tummy — snack time is the best time! But did you know your TEETH have favorite snacks too?
- Sort (5 min): hold up each snack card. Happy-tooth basket or sometimes basket? Crunchy apple — happy tooth! Sticky candy — sometimes. Juice box — surprise, it's a sometimes drink; water is the every-day winner.
- Water cheer (2 min): fill pretend cups and toast — "Water, water, teeth love you!"
- Wrap-up (1 min): when do sometimes-treats visit? With a meal — and then teeth get brushed!
- Post-check (2 min): read the same questions aloud again and celebrate how much everyone knows now.
Knowledge check — photocopy this page
Give the same check before and after the lesson; class totals before vs. after give you a measurable outcome for reports and grants.
Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________ ☐ Before the lesson ☐ After the lesson
- Which drink do teeth love best?
- Soda
- Water
- Juice all day long
- Which snack makes teeth happy?
- Crunchy apple slices or cheese
- Sticky candy
- A bag of cookies
- What do sugar bugs love?
- Carrots
- Water
- Sugar
- Is juice an every-day drink for teeth?
- No — juice has lots of sugar hiding inside
- Yes, all day long
- Juice is the same as water
- When do sometimes-treats visit?
- All day, every day
- With a meal — and then teeth get brushed
- At midnight, in secret
Answer key — teacher page
1. b · 2. a · 3. c · 4. a · 5. b
Sources
- ADA MouthHealthy — Nutrition for Babies and Kids — https://www.mouthhealthy.org/life-stages/babies-and-kids/nutrition-for-babies-and-kids (accessed 2026-07-28)
- ADA MouthHealthy — Diet and Dental Health — https://www.mouthhealthy.org/nutrition/food-tips (accessed 2026-07-28)
Healthy Smiles. Brighter Futures. · atomicsmile.org/learn
Smile Snacks
Tonight's healthy habit
Water is the drink teeth love best — juice has lots of sugar, even 100% juice, so keep it small and rare, and skip soda for little ones. For snacks, offer crunchy fruits and veggies, cheese, or yogurt without added sugar, and save sweets for mealtimes.
Try it tonight
Let your child be the "snack sorter" at the store or in the kitchen: hold up two snacks and ask, "Which one makes your teeth happy?" Cheer every good pick — and pour water in their favorite cup at snack time.
El hábito saludable de hoy
El agua es la bebida que más aman los dientes — el jugo tiene mucha azúcar, incluso el jugo 100%, así que déselo poquito y de vez en cuando, y nada de refresco para los pequeños. De botana, ofrezca frutas y verduras crujientes, queso o yogur sin azúcar añadida, y deje los dulces para la hora de la comida.
Pruébalo esta noche
Deje que su hijo o hija sea quien "acomoda las botanas" en la tienda o la cocina: muéstrele dos botanas y pregunte, "¿Cuál hace felices a tus dientes?" Celebre cada buena elección — y sirva agua en su vaso favorito a la hora de la botana.
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