Children should learn the following:
- Set a nutritious diet pattern and limit intake of snacks with high sugar content, particularly before meals. Set a good example for the children, by doing the same yourself.
- Let your child start the day by eating a healthy breakfast either at home or at school.
- Teach your child how to stop the spread of germs by maintaining basic hygiene like washing hands before meals, covering mouth & nose while sneezing, etc.
- Make sure your child is vaccinated against disease at the right age. Keep a chart of the vaccines your child has already had.
- Encourage your child to undertake atleast one of the many forms of exercise like jogging, walking, skipping rope, bicycling, roller-skating and swimming.
- Teach your child how to handle stress through exercise, getting enough sleep, discussing problems, and breaking jobs down into small parts.
- Teach your child how to protect him/herself by saying “No”, walking away from fights, or talking about dangerous situations.
When it is time for your children to brush their teeth, sing a song together about tooth brushing.
For example: Brushing
This is the way we brush our teeth, Brush our teeth, Brush our teeth. This is the way we brush our teeth, So early in the morning!
- Make sound effects: “ZOOM, ZOOM, ZOOM or VROOM, VROOM, VROOM,” while you watch them brush.
- Have your children give their teeth names, and use these names when you talk about them.
Help your child understand that there are some personal things that we don’t share because they can spread germs and disease.
- Have your child collect pictures of a toothbrush, cup, comb, hairbrush, and spoon.
- Ask your child to paste the pictures on a large piece of paper.
- With a crayon, pencil, or marker, have your child put an X or\through each picture. Title the poster, “Things I Do Not Share”.
- Have your child collect pictures of things that it is safe to share with others.
- Use these pictures to make a poster with the title, “Things I Can Share”.
- Milk Group: cheese, butter, ice cream, yogurt.
- Vegetable Group: broccoli, lettuce, spinach, carrots, beans.
- Meat Group: pork, chicken, steak, beef.
- Fruit Group: apples, oranges, papaya, mangoes, banana.
- Bread Group: rolls, cereal, crackers, pasta.
Each day, your child should eat foods from the 5 major food groups. bread, vegetable, fruit, milk, and meat. This snack covers “Breads” and “Fruit”.
- Mix 4 cups of low sugar cereal and 2 cups of raisins in a mixing bowl.
- Eat as a between meal snack.