DAYCARE AND SCHOOL NUTRITION PROMOTING HEALTHY EATING HABITS IN YOUNG MINDS

Daycares are specially formed with the vision of providing the most outstanding academic content for your children while also nurturing them with TLC (TENDER LOVE AND CARE). It focuses on curating the best future for your child. Daycare centers offer a happy, peaceful, and inspiring environment aiming at developing the holistic growth of all children. It brings out your child’s fullest potential.

   HOW JOYHOUSE DAYCARES PROMOTES HEALTHY EATING HABITS

It’s important to introduce healthy eating habits to children. They are the future of the nation. Daycare school aim to provide healthy eating among children by:

Food choices:  The goal is to foster a healthy and nutritious eating habit in children so that they become addicted to it and thereby make it their natural lifestyle choice for the years to come.

Eating style: Encouraging children to have meals with other fellow children, will develop a feeling of family amongst them. This helps in strengthening their bond and social skills. This also helps enhance their motor skills.

Table manners: children learn basic social manners such as when to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ by incorporating table manners.

Gardening: Building gardening skills is a great idea to make children eat healthily. Children will become eager to eat fresh fruits and vegetables if they plant these themselves. They can also learn about the nutritional values of each of these plants while farming them.

Meal planning: Kids at daycare are too small. Since they can’t learn cooking at this age, they can take part in planning their meals. Daycare schools can offer children a book full of menus with pictures of the ingredients. Children can choose their meals. This way they will be eager to eat the food that they have chosen.

Teachers and educators’ behavior:  educators can sit with the children and eat together. Teachers are their role models at this age. Seeing their teachers eating healthy food, children will learn to eat healthy themselves.

Setting a routine: setting a fixed everyday routine by offering them food and snacks at a fixed break time will enhance their appetite. This promotes healthy eating habits as their body clock will demand food automatically.

Fun activities: introducing fun activities such as dress-up days can also promote healthy eating habits in children. Children can dress up as their favorite vegetables or food items. This leads to children growing their interest in eating.

Promoting healthy eating habits through art:  make children create food cutouts, teach them about these various food items, and make them discuss these food items. This is an innovative way of building a habit through art. This will pique their creativity as well as build eating habits.

Fighting against unhealthy food promotions: in today’s generation kids are subjected to online and TV commercials advertising delicious and unhealthy food items such as ice creams, cookies, cakes, chips, and sugary drinks. Therefore, it’s crucial to educate children about the importance of nutrition. Counter the food industry advertising unhealthy food with knowledge, discipline, and proper education.

Can healthy eating habits elevate overall performance?

Building healthy eating habits will also force children to make healthier decisions. Children can learn about the significance of a healthy diet. A healthy diet will increase their productivity. As a result, it will lead to better academic results and performance. A healthy diet means healthy living. If children are healthy they will be regular in school. Thus, healthy eating can reduce absenteeism.

CONCLUSION: CELEBRATING HEALTHY CHOICES MADE BY CHILDREN

Children look forward to receiving appreciation and rewards. This results in validating their achievements. Appreciating healthy food choices made by children will ensure:

1. Boosted self-esteems
2. Growing a positive attitude towards food and nutrition.
3. Encourage them to continue making better and healthier decisions.