The toolkit for educators includes activities that aim to help children develop eating habits that support health and well-being. The activities create opportunities for children to explore new foods and develop food skills.
Aim to create a supportive environment when enjoying food with your group or during activities that involve discussing and exploring food and eating. A supportive environment promotes positive food experiences and helps children develop a good relationship with food.
On this page
- Support pleasant food experiences
- Lead by example
- Addressing highly processed foods
- Promoting acceptance of different body shapes and sizes
Support pleasant food experiences
Encourage children’s interest and exploration of foods. Do this by creating opportunities for them to explore and creating an enjoyable eating environment.
Foster an enjoyable eating environment by:
- providing an attractive eating area
- planning meal and snack times that allow children to eat without being rushed
- allowing children to eat with others and enjoy conversation with their peers
Support children’s interest and exploration of foods by:
- reducing distractions while they eat
- providing new foods with foods that are familiar
- allowing children to decide whether or how much they would like to eat
- creating opportunities to touch, see, smell, prepare and taste new foods
- accepting if children choose not to eat a certain food and teaching them how to politely decline by saying, “No, thank you”
Avoid pressure when offering food. Keep a non-judgmental attitude, and avoid:
- using food as a reward
- labelling foods as good or bad
- guilting or bribing children to encourage them to eat, for example:
- using sticker charts
- withholding dessert
- promising extra play time
- commenting on foods in children’s lunches or snacks
- leading activities that involve tracking or measuring food intake
Tip: Remind children that everyone experiences food differently. What one person may like, another might not enjoy, and that’s okay! It is important to select foods that support health and well-being and that have flavours we enjoy.
Lead by example
Children copy behaviours of adults and friends they trust. Lead by example and:
- take a break to eat
- model pleasant conversation at mealtimes
- sit down with children to eat the same meal
- enjoy food and be curious to try different items
- involve children in planning and preparing meals
Addressing highly processed foods
It can be expected that children may show interest or include highly processed foods during activities and while completing activity sheets. Avoid labelling foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Instead, let the child mention the food and move on in the activity, or respond to the child in a non-judgmental way. Examples of ways you can address these include:
- “Thank you for mentioning [name of the food]. Are there other foods that you could add to your activity sheet that are vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods or protein foods?”
- “[Name of the food] is a food that many people enjoy. Is there another example of vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods or protein foods you enjoy?”
Children may show interest in highly processed foods that are made from foods that can be found in Canada’s food guide. You may wish to address this by saying:
- “Thank you for sharing! [name of the highly processed food] is made with different ingredients. Some of these are [name ingredients that are part of Canada’s food guide]. [Ingredient name that is part of Canada’s food guide] can be part of a healthy eating pattern. What are other ways that you can enjoy [name of the ingredient that is part of Canada’s food guide]?"
Promoting acceptance of different body shapes and sizes
Whether conscious or not, people have their own views towards bodies of different shapes and sizes. When these views are negative, they can be harmful to ourselves and to others, and can lead to:
- low self-esteem
- poor treatment of others
- negative relationships with food
- poor eating practices, and more
Take time to reflect on your views on bodies of different shapes and sizes. By first recognizing your views, you can try to avoid unconsciously sharing negative views with children. Promote body acceptance by communicating that:
- there is no ideal body
- bodies of all shapes and sizes should be respected and celebrated
Consider whether activities or practices you do with your group are inclusive. For example, if you are showing a picture of children to your group, evaluate whether the image includes individuals from a variety of ethnic backgrounds and body types.
Try to avoid:
- commenting on weight, including your own or that of others
- sharing personal views on dieting, including discussions on calories or food intake