10 Games I Play with My Dad

What you need to play

• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• A sink with a visible drain
• A stool or chair (if the child needs help reaching the sink)
• A washable marker or colored tape to draw the target
• Paper or a board to record the weekly score

Objective

Turn brushing into a target practice challenge! After a thorough brushing, the child must spit the toothpaste trying to hit the center of a target drawn in the sink. The closer to the drain, the higher the score!

How to prepare the Target

Draw three concentric circles around the drain in the sink:

• Large circle (farthest): 1 point
• Medium circle: 2 points
• Small circle (very close to the drain): 3 points
• Bullseye (inside the drain): 5 points!

Rules

Dentist-level brushing:

Before spitting, the child must perform a complete and powerful brushing, with 10 strokes on each part of the mouth:

• Bottom:
  • ▸ Left side
  • ▸ Right side
  • ▸ Front
• Top:
  • ▸ Left side
  • ▸ Right side
  • ▸ Front
• And of course:
  • ▸ 10 strokes on the tongue!

Distance rule:

To be fair and fun, the child cannot put their face right up to the sink! They must be at least 30 cm (about 1 foot) away from the drain when spitting.

Expert Mode (funnier):

To make the game more challenging, the child can only spit while looking in the mirror! No peeking at the target!

After spitting, carefully observe where most of the toothpaste landed. The score is determined only by the area that received the most paste, even if smaller splatters went into other circles.

• Largest circle (outermost): 1 point
• Middle circle: 2 points
• Smallest circle (closest to the drain): 3 points
• Directly in the drain (bullseye): 5 points

Weekly championship:

The score is recorded after each brushing. At the end of the week, find out who was the Golden Mouth Champion!

Getting a child to brush their teeth isn't always easy — but, just like in the Wet Cloth game, turning daily chores into playful experiences can be the key to making everything lighter, more fun, and effective. And hey... after installing this target in the sink, some moms might even want a similar model in the toilet, just to ensure the husbands aim better when peeing!