Children in kindergarten are at the perfect age to start to learn healthy eating concepts. Young children are impressionable and tend to internalize what they learn and accept it as fact. Having healthy eating policies in place will ensure that kindergarten-age children learn what a nutritious food is as well as how to identify a food that will not provide any nutrition.
Allow Only Healthy Snacks
If your kindergartners bring a snack from home, educate parents regarding the importance of providing a nutritious one. Children who snack on candy, cake or potato chips are missing out on key opportunities to consume the nutrients they need to be healthy. Making it a school or classroom policy that children are only permitted to bring a healthy snack is one way to teach kindergartners about the difference between nutritious foods and junk foods. Send home a list at the beginning of the school year notifying parents about what snacks are acceptable and what snacks will not be permitted.
Include Fruits And Vegetables at Lunch
Fruits and vegetables are some of the most nutritious foods kindergartners can eat, and including one serving of each at lunch is one way to increase their intake. Fresh, frozen or canned fruits and vegetables all supply some important vitamins and minerals. Speak with your lunch program director, and work together to devise ways to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables supplied with the midday meal. Encourage those students who bring lunch from home to bring one fruit and one vegetable each day as well. Keep a chart so students can stick on stickers for each serving they have at lunch as a fun incentive to get kindergartners involved.
Require Healthy Party Food
Birthday parties and holiday celebrations often mean that kindergartners eat cupcakes, cookies, cake and candy. These are unhealthy foods that can be high in sugar and fat. Requiring that party foods be healthier is an important policy that can teach young children about the importance of healthy eating as well as how to identify the most nutritious foods. Encourage parents and students to bring muffins in place of cupcakes or fruit with low-fat yogurt in place of cookies or candy. Replace soda and other sugary drinks with 100 percent fruit juice.
Eat With The Students
Kindergartners need positive role models to teach them how to eat right. Taking the time to eat with your kindergartners is one way to show them what foods to eat. Sit with the students once in awhile and show them your healthy lunch. Talk about why you choose healthy foods and how they make you feel better than eating junk foods. Children often follow the direction of the adults they see every day, so simply eating a nutritious meal is a powerful way to model healthy eating habits.
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