Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/food-faces-and-salsa-gardens/5023077/
At a young age, children have an enormous capacity to develop habits that will sustain them for life. They learn from what they see the adults around them doing. Keeping active, eating healthy, exercising, and having good health habits are important for children and grownups alike.
Think about your own actions as an example. When you are around the children in your program, are you active? Do you eat healthy foods? Do you model safe and healthy habits? What you do matters! To model the best behaviors for children:
• encourage adults in your program to be present for the children, instead of using phones and tablets.
• avoid having televisions on in the background.
• encourage staff to eat healthy food and drink water, rather than drinking juice and soda. Let the children see them eating vegetables and fruit as well.
You get the picture! When you show children how to incorporate healthy practices into their lives, you will help them build a lifetime of positive health habits.
You, as the child care provider, can encourage the children in your life and their parents to be active, to eat healthy, and to play imagination games. Through your interactions with children, you have a unique ability to help them ...