Qualification: NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Educator
Unit: Unit 1.1: Support healthy lifestyles for children through the provision of food and nutrition
Learning outcome: Be able to support healthy eating in own setting.
Assessment criteria: Plan an activity to support healthy eating in own setting.
As part of a healthy lifestyle, eating a balanced and nutritious diet is important. To encourage healthy eating habits in early years settings, it is important to provide opportunities for children to learn about and experience different types of foods.
One way to do this is to plan an activity or series of activities focusing on healthy eating. This could involve cooking with fresh ingredients, growing fruits and vegetables, or visiting a farm or market. Other ideas include holding a healthy picnic, conducting a food tasting, or making a collage of healthy foods.
The planning stage will involve looking at the unique needs and preferences, the age and stage of development of the children you will be working with, and ensuring that the activity meets the group’s requirements. You will also need to look at the resources that you have available and any current themes that your setting is exploring (e.g. Christmas, Halloween, the Queen etc.)
Whichever activity or activities you choose, make sure to involve the children in the planning and execution. This will help them to feel ownership over the activity and be more engaged in learning about healthy eating.