In this blog, Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready guides the teachers of young children on how to approach the topic of food and nutrition, without it turning boring.
Teaching food and nutrition to young children goes a long way. This topic, when approached with fun and hands-on activities, has tremendous benefits. Young children learn not only the importance of healthy foods but also adopt healthy habits.
Start with Familiar Foods
Children will be more open to learning about nutrition when the topic is started with foods they already know and love. Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready suggests using decorative charts in the classrooms to make the topic appealing to children.
Start by asking the children their favorite food. This opens the door to different types of food and food groups like vegetables, grains, proteins or dairy. You can then talk about the nutritional value of each food group, without children seeing the topic as merely abstract.
Make It Hands-On
Kinder Ready Elizabeth Fraley emphasizes hands-on activities for maximum retention of information. To help the children connect with food, you can use playdough to make different types of foods. When it comes to snacktime, you can talk about the nutritional value of each food, helping them distinguish healthy food from junk.
Remember to keep the benefits of food precise and simple. For example, apples are good for heart function, or carrots help us see better.
Incorporate Storytelling and Books
Children are fascinated by stories and books, with their imaginative mind taking them to places. Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready says books related to healthy foods can be used during reading time.
These stories spark curiosity and help them learn the benefits of healthy food. You can use stories like “I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato” to engage the students.
Use Positive Language and Role Modeling
Instead of using the age-old approach of classifying food as good or bad, Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready suggests using words like “Everyday food” (like vegetables) or “Sometimes food” (treats like pizza or ice cream). Such positive language avoids confusion, and builds a healthy relationship with food.
Teachers are role models for children. If they see you eating junk daily, how will they learn? Talk to them about the healthy food choices you make, encouraging them to follow the lead.
Link Food to How Our Bodies Work
When talking about food, it is important to link it with how our bodies work. You can use the metaphor of our body as a “car” which needs “fuel” which is food. Tell them how they will feel more energized if they regularly eat green vegetables. You can give them a healthy snack, ask them to run, and then encourage how fast and strong they are. Remember, positive reinforcement is necessary to a child's developing brain.
Celebrate Cultural Diversity in Food
A key part of food and nutrition, in the eyes of Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready, is celebrating cultural diversity. Children from different cultures are studying under one roof. To celebrate this, you can arrange a Food Party where they bring their traditional dish. This increases exposure of children, along with respect for other people's identities.
Conclusion
Food and nutrition is a fun and engaging topic, when approached right. Teachers can adopt hands-on strategies like making a favorite food, or singing songs to reinforce the learned knowledge.
Using the guidance from Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready, teachers can create a stimulating environment for this topic. For children to be emotionally and physically strong, good food habits need to be adopted.
For further details on Kinder Ready's programs, visit their website: https://www.kinderready.com/.
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ElizabethFraleyKinderReady
