The mouth offers several different learning opportunities for toddlers. Toddlers are at an age where a basic overview can be turned into several lesson plans and strategies. The mouth can incorporate several types of learning and become an entire learning unit, addressing the senses, good dental hygiene, and using nice words.

Taste
Teaching about the sense of taste is one of the easiest lesson plans for toddlers. You should have several items to taste. Let the children taste things that are sweet, sour and spicy. Talk about the way the food feels in the mouth as well, for example, hot and cold. A fun activity to accompany this is finger painting with pudding or creating a painting or drawing of their favorite food to eat. If you have children with food allergies, be sure that all the foods you choose are safe for everyone.

A Healthy Smile
Another great lesson plan for the mouth is dental hygiene. Even toddlers can learn about taking good care of their teeth. You can teach the children the correct way to brush their teeth with a puppet and a large toothbrush. You may also want to create a big poster of a smile and a large toothbrush so that the children can practice brushing. Additionally you may to give each child a toothbrush to take home. Simple additions to this lesson plan could be talking about good foods to eat such as fruits and vegetables and foods to avoid such as sugary snacks and soda pop.

Another lesson that works with this or could be incorporated into a healthy smile plan is a review of the first trip to the dentist. There are books that explain a trip to the dentist, such as "Danny Goes to the Dentist" by Robert Robinson. Explain what happens at a dentist visit. Explain that the dentist helps to keep the patient healthy.

Using Nice Words
A final lesson for mouths is talking about saying nice words to other people. Begin by having the children use their mouths to make loud noises, then soft noises. You can also have the children make animal noises. Point out that we use our mouths to talk to each other. There are nice ways to talk, and nice words to choose. People can also choose mean ways to talk such as yelling or mean words, which makes people feel sad. Have the children practice nice ways to tell people when they are angry or sad. The art could be a drawing of two friends.