Having healthy children requires some science and art. Research reveals that children are very delicate beings, which is why they need close supervision. While a balanced diet is central to the wellbeing of children, there are other equally important aspects related to raising healthy children. This is what many people have failed to appreciate. It is important for the parents as well as teachers to appreciate or be acquainted with the constituents of a health life. Only then will they be able to bring up healthy toddlers.
Covered in this paper is a five-activity plan for preschoolers between the age of four and five. Children in this age group are able to eat meals recommended for adults. The just stated suggests that it is good to allow infants to eat what they love. It also suggests that it is not good to have a fixed diet for children. In addition to food, children equally need some social, physical, and emotional training to grow healthy.
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Meals for Preschoolers
The fact that they are away from their homes does not mean that they ought not to eat in school. Food is an essential commodity not only to infants but also to adults. Food gives toddlers the power required to learn and engage in other school activities. The best meal for breakfast is a low fat milk and a fresh fruit such as a banana (“Sample Menu for a Preschooler”, 2016). They are to be offered this after two hours of learning. The assumption here is that no child can come to school without having a meal at home. The most suitable diet for lunch is a low fat milk and two slices of bread. Those not taking milk can be given a fruit juice. These two diets make a balanced diet. Just to mention, low fat milk comprises of virtually all nutrients required for growth. It is also vital to bring out the point that the recommended diets meet the health standards set by NAEYC. The organization requires all learning institutions to enhance the wellbeing of children by being mindful of their health, including the meals they consume, an aspect tackled in the proposal.
Encouraging Group Work
Relationships are strengthened through group work. Research discloses that relationships are good for children (Rubin, Bukowski, & Laursen, 2011). It helps them to identify or estimate their worth in any setting. It similarly teaches them to learn to live with other people. This is particularly helpful to children in their respective families. Groups that teachers can form to enhance how preschoolers relate with other people include music groups, playing groups, and academic groups. NEAYC insists that it is vital for teachers to encourage preschoolers to learn how to relate with other people. This is seen as an important part of life. The groups recommended are certain to increase the frequency with which children relate, in this way, fulfilling the standard requirements of NAEYC.
Encouraging Physical Activity
Physical activity is important for children (Deiner, 2013). It enables them to grow both mentally and physically. Children within this age group ought to play for at least three hour a day. Teachers ought to make sure that all children are actively involved in playing activities. Perhaps the best way to achieve this goal is to organize the playtime in three to five phases. Playing activities that are certain to thrill preschoolers include painting, racing, swimming, and singing. NAEYC considers play an essential aspect to the growth of toddlers. It helps them to learn how to relate with the physical environment. The proposed playing activities meet the requirements of NAEYC in the sense that they connect preschoolers with the natural world (“The 10 NAEYC Program Standards”, 2016).
Open Teaching
Roughly put, open teaching is a type of teaching that appreciates the fact that children learn differently. In consequence, teachers utilize a wide variety of ways to ensure that children learn. Globalization has become a present day reality, which is why there is need for teachers to appreciate the fact that learners have unique learning styles, capacities, needs, and interests. Teachers ought to monitor each young learner closely, with an intent of understanding and thereafter designing a customized learning program for each child. NAEYC recognizes the fact that cultural diversity is a modern day experience, which is why it encourages teachers to be flexible in teaching.
Assessing the Progress of Children
It is the obligation of teachers to ensure that children benefit from programs taught in their respective schools. The core purpose of preschooler education is to prepare young learners for advanced learning. Assessing the outcomes of a program helps a teacher to mend as well as tailor instructions in a way that meets the individual needs of children. NAEYC standards require all teachers to assess children on a routinely basis. It requires them to achieve this through developing good relations with children and their individual families.
Raising healthy children is not a mundane task. As stated earlier, it requires some science and art. In closing, it is good to state that teachers can help parents to raise healthy children by adhering to NAEYC standards.
References
Deiner, P. L. (2013). Inclusive early childhood education: Development, resources, practice . Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Rubin, K. H., Bukowski, W. M., & Laursen, B. P. (2011). Handbook of peer interactions, relationships, and groups . New York: Guilford Press.
Sample Menu for a Preschooler. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/preschool/nutrition-fitness/Pages/Sample-One-Day-Menu-for-a-Preschooler.aspx
The 10 NAEYC Program Standards. (2016). Retrieved from http://families.naeyc.org/accredited-article/10-naeyc-program-standards
