Mealtime
Many parents, guardians and caretakers of young children find it especially difficult to manage young children at mealtime. Some reasons for this are that children are often allowed to choose what they want to eat with little or no regard to the nutritional value of the food(s) they select. This practice, while perhaps done with loving intentions, is not always in the best interest of the child.
Children develop habits, customs and overall values based on what they see their parents, guardians, other adults, and even other children do. However, they first observe the patterns and practices of their parents and others in their home. Consequently, when healthy eating patterns are practiced and established at home, young children quickly learn which foods are good for them and which ones are not.
It has been well established by pediatricians and other experts that early on, parents should begin introducing healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables to their young children. These foods and later, others, should be introduced one at the time until the child has acquired a taste for them. While the child might like some of the foods that are being introduced, more than likely, he/she will not like every food presented. This is understandable, of course, as it speaks to our differences as humans. Children need lessons on “appropriate” discrimination as they grow older.
As the child becomes older, parents and/or guardians can explain the value of each of the foods to the child until he/she understands it. This early introduction of foods should continue with other foods as well, such as breads, meats (if eaten), dairy products (if eaten), nuts etc., until all the food groups have been covered. As the child continues to grow and learn, all of these facts become a part of his/her mindset. Though the child might not like every new food that is introduced, he or she will learn how to intelligently discriminate between healthy and unhealthy foods. Hopefully, this will enable him/her to make wise choices as they grow up to become healthy, productive citizens in society.
Playtime
Another challenge for parents and guardians of young children is how to engage children in meaningful activities during playtime. Many children today watch educational programs on television for most, if not all of their playtime activities. Others are allowed to choose whatever they want to do for playtime.
Viewing television programs for children, especially educational programs, has proven beneficial in many ways. Many children have learned their ABC's, how to count from 1 - 10 or higher, how to sing nursery rhymes and other children songs, colors, numbers, etc. Yet, many experts warn that toomuch television viewing can be very unhealthy and even dangerous for children. It can impact them mentally, emotionally and even physically, according to professionals in the field.
What constitutes too much varies from expert to expert. However, there is agreement that children under four years of age should not engage in any television viewing due to the developmental and emotional problems that can occur. These same experts also agree that children between the ages of 4 - 12 years old should not view more than 15 - 30 minutes of television per day. Some have even concluded that children 13 - 17 should only view television for one hour or less per day. In each case, parents and other care takers of children will have to make the final decision as to how much television viewing their child or children will engage in. These same parents and caretakers will also have to face the consequences of their decisions.
In addition to viewing interactive television programs for youngsters, many parents and caretakers of children have also found that playing board games, picture games, word games, introducing children to musical instruments, dancing inside or outside, going for short or long walks to the park or just in the neighborhood, playing scavenger hunts, etc., are all excellent ways to engage children in meaningful playtime activities on a daily basis. The amount of time and the choice of activities that are selected should be based on the child's age, ability and preference, when appropriate.
Overall, however, children's activities should be structured at times and unstructured at other times depending on the purpose of such activities. In all cases, playtime should be fun, exciting, memorable, challenging, and purposeful. Gaining meaningful learning experiences while developing strong language skills, social and emotional skills, and interpersonal skills, are all fulfilling objectives of effective playtime.
In addition effective playtime will improve self esteem and self worth of children. Each of the aforementioned should be objectives of each activity that parents or other child care providers plan for their child or children. When children are engaged in meaningful learning experiences at playtime, they tend to enjoy them and appreciate the activities even more. This is just another way to “make learning fun!”
