Children's health and healthy eating are directly connected, but that doesn't mean it's an easy task for parents and guardians.
The earlier the food introduction process is carried out, the tendency is for children to be more receptive to foods such as vegetables, items that are seen as villains by many of them.
A balanced diet is essential for good health and directly influences the proper development of the organism, especially in such an important phase of growth.
For this reason, we made a list of ten steps to healthy eating with playful and inviting activities for children. Check out the content and enjoy the tips!
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The importance of playful activities on healthy eating for early childhood education
A child who eats well is providing the body with the nutrients and minerals needed for motor and cognitive development.
Inappropriate nutrition can lead to harmful health conditions, such as:
Thus, the benefits of eating well, in addition to avoiding diseases and imbalances, are linked to healthy growth.
The more entertained, the easier it is for children to be receptive to something new.
When it comes to food, the premise remains the same. With playful activities, children can develop their creativity while consuming healthier foods.
In this way, it is important that parents and guardians are ready to explore their creative side, from the famous “little plane” in the first years of life, to the decoration with food at more advanced ages.
At school, where children spend a good part of the day, it is important to offer a balanced diet. Meals must provide the vitamins and nutrients necessary for each stage of development and the menu must be developed by nutritionists.
Thus, mealtime does not become a battleground, but a fun time for the little ones.
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When given only one type of food, children become more resistant to experimenting with new flavors and textures.
Knowing this, always try to introduce a new item on the plate so that the child can expand the range and enjoy new foods that were previously unknown.
Whether it's a different vegetable in the salad or a new type of meat, always remember to signal what's new on the plate, as this helps to create a trusting relationship with the child.
One approach that does not have a positive impact is the introduction of food through threats.
"If you don't put the toys away, you're going to have to eat fruit instead of candy this week."
The child should not be taught to associate food with good or bad behavior.
Food is not punishment, it is a fundamental part of the lives of developing children!
Children are naturally curious beings, so take advantage of the time of food preparation to make them interact more with food and understand its process.
When making a salad, invite the child to choose the items and teach how to wash the vegetables.
Even if unconsciously, they will be more anxious to be able to try a dish that had their help to produce.
It is inside their home that children have the greatest examples of behavior when observing their parents and guardians.
To learn to speak and behave in places, the little ones repeat what they capture in the environment. And food education is no different.
Always look for healthy options at meals to show that this is also something pleasurable for you.
In everyday life, it is easier to offer industrialized products for children's snacks, but this is not the best choice.
It is important to always leave fruits accessible at home so that they are consumed instead of cookies, snacks and other industrialized products.
Children learn (and eat) by playing!
At the table, you can use creativity to relax and bring the child closer to food at this important moment.
Attention: the joke cannot be a pretext to curl up at mealtime.
It's worth playing with the name of the food, talking and creating stories involving the meal, among others. All that can make mealtimes more interesting and captivate the attention of the little ones.
This also extends to full-time education institutions.
Mealtime should be a time of communion and conversation between the people of the house to show the child the importance of this situation.
With everyone dedicated to making a good meal, the child feels more involved and motivated to do the same.
In addition to the health benefit, this is also an important time to strengthen family ties. So leave cell phones, television and distractions aside and, whenever possible, gather everyone to eat at the table!
The more industrialized snacks at home, the greater the chances of the child rejecting healthy foods and balanced meals to snack on these ready-to-eat foods several times a day.
Therefore, as important as educating and encouraging, it is also necessary to filter the arrival of these nutrient-poor foods in the family pantry.
Have you ever seen drawings made with food?
This is an infallible technique for using playfulness at meal time.
Dolls, dinosaurs and fruit faces are a creative and simple way to attract little ones' attention to food.
Try at home!
Some children, such as those who are neurotypical, experience greater difficulty in finding foods that they can consume.
Motivated by the taste, texture or temperature of food, these children tend to be less receptive to all types of foods, including healthier ones.
Therefore, for these and all other children, it is important to understand which foods were better received and which did not provide a positive experience.
More than offering healthy food, it is necessary to be sensitive so that this diet becomes something pleasurable.
Did you like the tips? To learn more about children's development, check out our blog on Socioemotional Skills and how they are developed at school. You will love this content!
See you soon!
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