Spencer 2
It is important for young children to consume healthy and nutritious
meals to maintain good health and energy during their day-to-day lives.
Preschool is the vital time to instill this into young children. This is the
time in a child’s life where development is most crucial. To promote
health and wellness, it is crucial for teachers, students, and parents to
work together and learn about nutrition, physical activity, and child
development. If parents or teachers lack nutritional knowledge, the choice
they make could negatively impact the student. Therefore, creating bad
unhealthy habits amongst the students. By making all parties involved
aware and active of what is needed for a healthy diet, development, and
physical activity, we are more likely to accomplish our goals.
Communicating with parents through a newsletter and giving them the
information they need to be successful is crucial in a child’s development.
Within a newsletter we can give parents resources to help guide them
in nurturing their children. We also could give parents ideas on different
ways they can interact with their children in a fun way and still
accomplish the goal of a healthy lifestyle. This could include fun games or
recipes to try with the children. As teachers we have the opportunity to
create activities within the lesson plan and newsletters that incorporate
parental, student, and teacher involvement. Teachers can encourage
healthy nutritional habits in children with the help and support of the
family.
Spencer 3
Within the newsletter parents will find facts on the first page that
physical activity and time spent in sports is actually beneficial to their
child. Following is different ways they can interact and engage with their
child in positive ways around mental, and physical development. Parents
will find different fun ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into their
child’s diet. Following that is multiple resources to help parents
understand the mental and physical development of their child and ways
that they can positively impact it. My favorite from all the resources
provided is MY Plate. Within this website parents can finds serving sizes,
meal plans and so much more. Also included in the newsletter is a few
different books that are preschool age appropriate to educate them on
nutrition and physical activity. Lastly on the newsletter is a fun activity to
include is what healthy food can I find with my name. For Example;
M=meat e=egg e=eggplant a=apples n=nuts. By involving parents in the
classroom, and with the newsletters we can encourage the exploration of
different healthy nutritional options and habits with children and families
all around. Parents and students will learn about the importance of
incorporating a variety of food groups, including fruits, vegetables,
proteins, grains, and dairy, into their diets. They will learn different ways
to stay active with their children and encourage them to have a healthy
lifestyle. It's important for children to have a healthy diet to grow strong
and have the energy they need to stay active and attentive during the
Spencer 4
day, every day. The newsletter will contain as much information as we
can without being overwhelming. Total involvement equals success.
The NAEYC standard that will sustain this project is Standard 7:
Families, “The program establishes and maintains collaborative
relationships with each child’s family to foster children’s development in
all settings. These relationships are sensitive to family composition,
language, and culture. To support children’s optimal learning and
development, programs need to establish relationships with families
based on mutual trust and respect, involve families in their children’s
educational growth, and encourage families to fully participate in the
program.” Providing this information will help provide nutritional meal
ideas either in school or at home. Overall a newsletter is a great way to
communicate and relay information between the classrooms and families.
It will give parents a guide and helpful resources.
Spencer 5
Reference for the newsletter:
Wizard, P. (2016, June 21). What My Body Needs to Grow! a Kid’s First Book All about
Nutrition - Healthy Eating for Kids - Children’s Diet & Nutrition Books. Prodigy Wizard
Books.http://books.google.ie/books?
id=TKIXMQAACAAJ&dq=What+My+Body+Needs+To+Grow&hl=&cd=1&source=gbs_a
pi
MyPlate | U.S. Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). https://www.myplate.gov/
Marotz, L. R. (2015). Health, safety, and nutrition for the young child (9th ed.). Cengage Learning
Asia Pte Ltd.
Haupt, A. L., Massare, B., Nizer, J., Paul, M., & Valenti, L. A. (2024, January 23). Healthy
Young Children-Sixth Edition. http://books.google.ie/books?
id=Ia6czwEACAAJ&dq=Healthy+Young+Children,
+Sixth+Edition&hl=&cd=1&source=gbs_api
Carter, S. L., & White, M. (2020). Children's Physical Activity and Academic
Performance: A Meta-Analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 33(4), 421-437.
Johnson, B. (2019). Promoting Mental Health in Young Children: The Role of
Physical Activity. Early Childhood Education Journal, 40(2), 87-102.
Smith, A. (2021). The Influence of Physical Activity on Children's Mental Health: A
Comprehensive Review. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 25(3), 123-
136.
