Future Performance Training
There are many activities that we can use with
children to help them become interested in healthy
eating. These activities link to the EYFS as there is an
aspect called ‘Health and self-care within ‘Physical
development’. This aspect is about teaching children
to stay healthy and includes healthy eating.
Table 1.1.4 shows some activities that are commonly
used to help children become interested in healthy
eating. It is important though when choosing
activities to think about the age and stage of
children to ensure that they can participate in them.
A good example of this is cooking activities. There
are some cooking activities that are easier than
others. If you decide to cook with children, you should first check whether any children have food
allergies and also ensure that the food being cooked
is healthy.
Outing to a shop to buy fruit and vegetables |
This allows children to see the different range of fruit and vegetables on offer and afterward they can taste them. |
|---|---|
| Visit to a local farm or allotment | This allows children to see where food comes from. |
| Planting fruit and vegetables | This helps children to learn about growing fruit and vegetables and is a good way of encouraging them to try out new foods. |
| Making a fruit smoothie | This is a simple cooking activity that young children can help with. |
| Cutting up or mashing bananas and mixing with natural yogurt | This is a simple cooking activity that does not require any special equipment and so is suitable for very young children. |
| Making a vegetable pizza | This activity can help children to try out new, healthy toppings, such as courgettes or sweetcorn. Pizza bases can be bought or made with the children. |
| Creating a salad | This is a simple activity which is good in warm weather. Children can choose different vegetables to put into their salad. They can wash tomatoes and lettuce, chop the cheese into cubes or add spoonfuls of ready-chopped vegetables, such as cucumber. |
| Making bread | This is a good activity for introducing children to brown bread. It can be done by hand or with a bread maker. |
| Cooking simple dishes, e.g. baked potato, boiled eggs, and toast | Making simple dishes is a good activity for older children who, under supervision, can make healthy light meals. |