Physical Development

10 New Year’s Resolutions with Young Kids #3-Eating Rainbows

Healthy eating is a new year’s resolution for many grownups and that’s also important for kids but it needs to be fun and tasty. How about eating rainbows?

new year's resolution healthy eating for kidsThe most colorful foods are fruits and vegetables and children need to eat 5 servings of veggies and fruit every day. Fortunately, these foods come in all colors of the rainbow, although blue foods are more purple, making 5 color groups. When kids eat one fruit or vegetable from each color, they have eaten a rainbow. Eating one food from each color is the goal for the day.

Kia Robertson and her daughter Hannah, from “Today I Ate A Rainbow”, came up with an easy way to keep track of what children eat. They developed a game using a chart and colored magnets. Kids get a magnet of each color to make a rainbow for the day. Or, you can also make a chart at home and kids can use different colors of crayons or markers.

new year's resolution healthy eating for kidsGetting kids to try something new is not always easy. They may need to be introduced to the food slowly, by giving them time to touch it and smell it first before tasting. If a taste is too adventurous, kids can hold a new vegetable or fruit and maybe give it a kiss hello. It’s okay not to like something after trying a bite. Sometimes, a bite will taste different on a different day. When children are involved in washing and preparing veggies and fruits, they are more likely to eat them, so that is another strategy.

Helping children develop healthy eating patterns can be a challenge but it has definite benefits. Nutrition not only has tremendous impact on the body’s health, but also on the brain’s health. Eating a rainbow is also a good new year’s resolution for grownups! Will eating a rainbow be a new year’s resolution for your family?

Why Preschoolers Need To Know Where Babies Come From

Today, a colleague sent a reminder about the importance of sharing information about where babies come from with preschoolers. This is a common question for young kids and it’s much better for them to ask their parents. When parents answer about reproduction, this establishes them as the “go-to” person and that can help protect kids.

telling kids where babies come fromThere’s some other information that is critical for kids too. Here are 3 basics that kids need to know:

  1.  the difference between private spaces and public spaces,
  2. the body-science names for all parts of the body, including the private parts, and
  3. different kinds of touching–safe touching, unsafe, and secret.

These points establish some boundaries and safe-zones. Bathrooms are private spaces but the circle time at preschool and kindergarten is public. Safe touch includes washing, pats on the back, hugs, and snuggles. Getting a sliver pulled out doesn’t feel good but it’s a safe touch. Kicking, biting, hitting, and pinching are unsafe touches and kids are usually pretty good at knowing this isn’t allowed because it hurts other people. Secret or private touch is for grownups. Just knowing the correct names of body parts can help protect kids because it gives the message that parents and kids have talked openly about this. Plus, kids have the right words to tell us about any concerns and problems.

Below, is a video of an interview with Kerri Isham, a certified sexual health educator. She talks about these and other basics. Most of the video is relevant for all kids, and then the last few minutes for older children. Most libraries have great books and stories to share with kids about babies, reproduction, and our bodies. All parts of the body are equally special, not just the private ones.

For a play-of-the-day, you can sing Head and Shoulders, Knees, and Toes and then ask your child if s/he knows the names of the private parts of the body. Can you suggest a book or story to use with kids?

Run, Walk, Hop, Jump, Skip, and Slide to Kindergarten

Series Part #9: Helping Kids Get Ready for Kindergarten Includes Movement Activities

Did you know that running, walking, hopping, jumping and other ways that kids move can help them get ready to start school? After all, kids learn ‘on the move’.

importance of movement activities for early learningAs adults, we only need to be stuck in an airplane seat for a few hours to appreciate the importance of moving and space. In fact, movement is critically important for early learning and brain development. Because moving is how a baby first  explores and interacts with the world, moving creates a foundation for learning. We can add the sense of the position of the body in space and the sense of movement to our other five senses, 5 plus 2.

Jumping, in particular, encourages the growth of a strong skeleton, but there are countless other movement activities such as hopping, balancing, crawling, rolling, twirling, twisting, dancing, climbing, pulling, pushing, plus more, that are all beneficial.

physical play helps learningTo help develop children’s brain pathways and connections, include some space and time for movement activities. Sometimes, an entire house seems too small to contain all that moving energy ! Playgrounds and parks aren’t luxuries, they are essentials. Even hallways will work and kids can hop, skip, jump, twirl, twist down the hall. Put on some music and dance together. Sometimes kids like a yoga or other mat for an exercise space. Sing and do action songs. The words “take a hike” are a super suggestion and another form of active play.

How can these ordinary activities lead to extraordinary learning?  As human beings, we are put together so that we learn from what we do most often. That’s nature’s best chance for survival. If it’s something we do ordinarily, that increases the chances that it will be there for us to learn and do. Kids move their bodies. Why? For their brains. Since brains need to move to learn, nature hard wires the need to move in the body. Even tiny unborn babies can have quite a kick! 1, 2, 3, GO! What kinds of movin’ and groovin’ does your child like to do?

Summer Great Outside Fun Includes Water and Getting Wet

One of the best things about summer is being able to play outside and get all wet. The fun promotes all kinds of early learning and development and kindergarten readiness. It comes with squeals of delight and eager anticipation. Of course, any water play requires extra supervision from the parents and caregivers. With so much … Continue reading Summer Great Outside Fun Includes Water and Getting Wet

Doctor Takes Kids Around the Park for Outside Time

How important is outside time for children’s learning and development? Not just talking the talk, this doctor is walking the walk. More than a prescription that says: Rx Outside Activity, this doctor is leading a group of kids and parents for a trip through the park. In an NPR article, To Make Children Healthier, A … Continue reading Doctor Takes Kids Around the Park for Outside Time

outside activities for kids

Doctor Writes Prescriptions for Kids: Go Outside and Play #2

Yesterday’s blog post shared from a Boston Globe article how some doctors are writing prescriptions for kids that say: Go Outside and Play! Some ways that kids can do just that are: going for a walk around the block, blowing and chasing bubbles, collecting nature items, playing hopscotch, and making an obstacle course in the … Continue reading Doctor Writes Prescriptions for Kids: Go Outside and Play #2

outside activities for kids

Doctor Writes Prescriptions for Kids: Go Outside and Play

Some smart pediatricians are writing prescriptions for kids with the orders: Go Outside and Play! Especially in summer weather this is so important for kids. In a recent Boston Globe article, Karen Weintraub, writes about the program Outdoors Rx. Kids today are simply not getting enough outside time, so doctors all over the country are … Continue reading Doctor Writes Prescriptions for Kids: Go Outside and Play

When Are Kids Old Enough For Organized Sports?

Are you thinking of registering your child in a sports league? Many parents and caregivers are keen to register kids in a sports league or community club and wonder if their kids are old enough. To answer that question needs more information about how it’s organized and about the individual child. Here are some points … Continue reading When Are Kids Old Enough For Organized Sports?

Word Cup Soccer for Kids–Outdoors and Indoors Too

Kids seem to be on the move and physically active all the time, but as parents and caregivers we still need to find ways to encourage and support vigorous movement activities. Vigorous physical play is important for early learning and development and for kindergarten and school readiness too. With hotly contested games at practically any … Continue reading Word Cup Soccer for Kids–Outdoors and Indoors Too