nurturing young children: the importance of family style meal service sharen crockett, ms, cfcs dr....
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Nurturing Young Children: The Importance of Family
Style Meal Service
Sharen Crockett, MS, CFCS
Dr. Beth Wilson, CFCS, CFLE
Family Meal Times:What Does the Research Say?
A positive effect upon the character and social development of the children
Family communication skills Improved nutritional intake of the entire
family
Family Meal Times:What Does the Research Say?
Development of family values and traditions
Development of the culinary skills of family members
Development of child’s confidence Fewer behavior problems, especially
adolescent drug and alcohol use
Are Families Eating Together?
Families eating meals together have declined significantly over the past 30 years.• Parents believe that eating meals together is
very important.
• Due to complexity of family life, less than 50% of families eat as a family regularly.
What is the role of early childhood professionals?
Child care providers have assumed a role that was typically held by parents in nurturing young children. Viewed as:• A supplement and extension, not a replacement, of good
parenting
• A team effort with good parental involvement
• Good communication between staff and parents This means creating a “child-friendly” environment that:
• Provides nutritious foods, well-prepared and attractive
• Provides opportunities for learning
• Provides for an enjoyable experience
Definition: Family Style Meal Service
A type of meal service that allows children to serve themselves at the table from common dishes of food with the assistance of an adult.
It encourages adults to:• Set a personal example• Provide educational activities centered around foods• Allow children to identify new foods, new tastes, and
new menus• Help develop a positive attitude toward nutritious
foods and develop good eating habits• Learn to share in group eating situations and manners
Family Style Meal Service is. . .
Extremely important for early childhood programs from three viewpoints:• Positive food habits, good nutrition, and long-
term health (lifetime skills)
• Developmentally appropriate curriculum and environment for learning
• Compliance with quality/accreditation standards
Positive Aspects of Family-Style Meal Service
Provides abundant opportunities to promote:• Language development
• Cognitive development
• Sensorimotor development
• Social/emotional development
• Motor skills
• Self-esteem
• Independence (competency)
Physical Environment
Safe, clean, and comfortable Child size plates, utensils, glasses and
cups Furniture of right size and shape for
children’s age and development
Foods
Serve new food with familiar food Serve foods from different cultures Variety of shapes, colors, textures,
flavors Do not serve any foods that represent a
choking hazard
Division of Responsibility in Feeding Children
Adults:• Setting regular times for
meals and snacks
• Planning and preparing healthy meals and snacks
• Assuring that the children come to the table at meal and snack time
• Creating a pleasant mealtime environment
Children:• Deciding which of the
healthy foods offered they want to eat
• Deciding how much food they want to eat
Social Environment
Pleasant, relaxed and peaceful Children involved—table setting, food
preparation, self-service, cleanup Encourage children to eat food but do
not force Food should not be used as reward or
punishment Allow children to feed themselves
Social Environment
Balance learning new skills with enjoying eating
Give children time to eat
Social Environment
Talk with children, allow for self-directed conversation (language development and social skills development)
Simple rules of etiquette such as “please,” “thank you, “ and “no thank you”
Tips for Success
Have a transition activity before a meal or snack
Children should wash their hands; adults should model this behavior
Use carefully planned meals and snacks—”every day foods” and “sometimes foods”
Tips for Success
Sit with the children, model healthy eating habits, trying new foods with positive attitude, allowing the child to guide conversation
Model etiquette
Tips for Success
Send copies of menus home to parents Be aware of “teachable” moments
Ideas for Teaching. . .
Introduce and discuss new colors, tastes, textures, shapes
Have children measure ingredients with real kitchen measuring cups and spoons
Teach the origin of foods Plan meals around holidays or
community events
Ideas for Teaching. . .
Provide diverse cultural experiences Have a window garden with herbs
Ideas for Teaching. . .
Language development: talk about the food, how it is grown, good eating habits, proper table manners
Show children how to serve the food, taking the proper amounts, what to do if a spill occurs