As parents raising bilingual and bicultural kids we face many milestones in which we have decisions to make. Some big and some simple, yet also important. Such is the case when our kids start to lose their baby teeth. Of course, we dont want them to be afraid of going to the dentist or losing their teeth and we also want them to practice good dental hygiene . So, we tell them a comforting story to ease the process for them and reassure them that this is a milestone everyone goes trough. This is when we are faced with an option: we can teach them about the tooth fairy or el Ratoncito Pérez.
Many of us grew up recognizing el Ratoncito Pérez as the little mouse who took the tooth we left under our pillow and left us a gift or money in exchange. We may have also learned about the Tooth Fairy. The goal of both stories is for our kids to lose the fear that can come with losing a tooth. The only thing that changes are the characters, and that traditionally the Tooth Fairy is told in English and El Ratoncito Pérez in Spanish.
So which story will you tell your kids, the Tooth Fairy or El Ratoncito Pérez ? Is there another tooth-related story you learned growing up? Share with us in the comments section!
Delta Dental has shared with us a few tools that can encourage our kids to practice good dental hygiene. Visit Delta Dental’s My Smile Kids page in Spanish for more information, games, and activities. You can share this bilingual and educational coloring book below,”Ratoncito Perez Saves the Day” with your niños as you talk about the story, just click on the image below! To get the full copy of the coloring book mailed to you, just email lauren@bodenpr.com.
{photo by M___a___r___k}
