Using "Thinking Tags" with kindergarten children: a dental health simulation

ABSTRACT According to many dental professionals, the decay effects from the accumulation of sugar on teeth are a very difficult concept for young children to learn. Playing the dental hygiene game with Thinking Tags brings context into the classroom. Instead of watching a demonstration of the accumulation of sugars on a screen or being told about dental health, this simulation allows 5-year old children to experience improving or decaying dental health without any real adverse effects. Small, wearable microprocessor-driven GroupWear tags were brought into the kindergarten classroom to simulate the decay process, providing information and creating a discussion about teeth. This program was effective and enthusiastically received by this age group.