Miller County - Family and Consumer Science
Healthy Snacks Make Healthy Kids
Food Guide Pyramid For Young Children Teaching Plan
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(The only visual you will need for this lesson is a poster size copy of the
Food Guide Pyramid For Young Children. Or you may choose to use
transparencies of the
pyramid. A black/white and a color copy are attached to the lesson. Or a
copy can be obtained from
http://www.usda.gov/cnpp/KidsPyra/.
Agent says: For the next few minutes, I am going to talk about
the Food Guide Pyramid For Young Children and discuss how it differs
from the original Food Guide Pyramid. We will also discuss how you can
use it when teaching young children in your care about good nutrition.
Agent says: (Show a visual of the Food Guide Pyramid for Young
Children and refer to it as you discuss.) The Food Guide Pyramid is a
guide to making healthy food choices. The Pyramid divides food into five
major food groups: grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, and meat. What
makes this food pyramid different from the original pyramid is that the
foods shown are many of the ones that children know and like. It is
important to keep in mind that each of these foods provides some, but
not all, of the nutrients and energy children need. No one-food group is
more important than another. For good health and proper growth, children
need to eat a variety of different foods every day.
Agent says: The small tip of the Pyramid shows fats and
sweets. These are foods such as salad dressings, cream, butter,
margarine, sugars, soft drinks, and candies. These foods have a lot of
calories from fat and sugars, but few vitamins and minerals, so we need
to eat them only once in a while.
Agent says: We know that young children ages two to six years
of age have unique calorie and nutrient needs. Some concern had been
expressed that the original Food Guide Pyramid was not an appropriate
guide. But, research conducted by USDA has found that the nutritional
needs of children two to six can be met if they follow the recommended
servings from each food group in the original guide.
Agent says: So why even change? The new Food Guide Pyramid for
Young Children shows more appropriate serving sizes and foods that
children typically eat. And the new guide can help teach young children
about nutritious foods in a more user friendly way.
Agent says: Some of the ways the guide is different is:
- Foods are drawn in a more realistic style. They look like foods
children would eat. They are easy for children to recognize.
- The graphics show single serving sizes, which are more
recognizable to young children.
- The food groups have shorter, single word names to help children
learn and remember the groups.
- The number of servings for the food groups is a single number
rather than a range.
- The Pyramid shows that two- to three-year-old children need the
same number of servings as a four- to six-year-old, but they need
smaller portions.
Agent says: How do you encourage your children to make healthy
food choices? (Let participants respond.)
Agent says: Those are all great ideas. Here are some more
recommendations.
- Be Patient. Young children may not be
interested in trying new foods. Offer a new food more than once.
Let the children see you and other children eating the new food.
Sometimes it takes ten or more times of trying a new food out
before a child will eat it.
- Be a Planner. Most children need a snack or two in
addition to three regular meals. Offer foods from three or more
groups for breakfast and lunch. Offer foods from four or more
groups for the main meal. Offer foods from two or more groups
for snacks.
- Be a Good Role Model. Eat meals with your children.
Eating with the children provides many opportunities for
learning together. What are some things you can learn when
eating with children? (Allow participants to respond.)
- Try New Ways to Prepare Foods. Allow the children to
help if at all possible. Serve the same food in different ways.
For example serve broccoli raw, steamed, boiled or baked in a
casserole.
We have talked about the differences in the original Food Guide Pyramid and
the Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children. We have also briefly discussed ways
to get your children to eat healthier. Now let’s look at a way you can help
teach your children about the Food Guide Pyramid and healthy food choices.
Introduce the game, "Fishing
For Nutrition". Allow participants to play a round or two if time permits.
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