For some kindergarten readiness learning and fun for the letter N, how about N = Nutrition? Helping children develop healthy eating patterns begins early. Nutrition has tremendous impact not just on the body’s health, but the brain’s health, too. Children need protein, healthy fats, grains and vegetables and fruits. Now, the trick is to get kids to eat that…
Involving children in preparing food can help, plus they learn other skills, too. Talk to your child about the colors of fruits and veggies. What are the shapes and sizes? Kids use all of their senses, not just taste, smell, touch, and sight, but even hearing. Different foods make different sounds when we eat them, right? And at the bottom of a choco-nana-smoothie there is a very special sluuurp!
While usually, kids are not encouraged to play with food, there are some activities that are lots of fun. One local community play program invites children to bring an ingredient one day every week to make a big pot of Stone Soup for everybody. A few families could also do this together. Kids can choose from a big plate of veggies and fruit to make their own rainbows. Or, give your child a few pieces to create a face on a sandwich.
For the letter N=nutrition “play-of-the-day” can you and your child eat up some food fun and learning?
