Section 4: Healthy Food and Nutrition

Based on current trends and realities, it is clear that adults committed to children’s healthy growth and development must advocate for high-quality nutrition, which begins with a strong foundational knowledge of children’s nutritional needs, developmental stages, and dietary guidelines.

For your course project this week, you will create a fourth section that provides important information on nutrition and age-appropriate foods for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and that will serve as an educational tool for adults who work with young children and their family members.

Use the following guidelines:

• Summarize why good nutrition and eating habits are so important to children in each age group. Cite evidence from Chapter 6 in your text and/or other resources to support your claims.
• Refer to Chapter 8 in your course text and explain why adults should actively help children develop healthy eating habits and at least two ways this can be accomplished.
• Provide three nutritious recipes that family members can prepare with preschoolers and explain the nutritional value of each. (To locate recipes, look through the various suggested Web sites or do research as needed.) Offer strategies and suggestions to make cooking together an enjoyable learning experience for children.

Please pay close attention to the first part of the application instructions. You will summarize why good nutrition and eating habits are so important to children in each of the following age groups: infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Make sure you include all three age groups in your summary.

Additionally, you will also explain why adults should actively help children develop healthy eating habits and at least two ways this can be accomplished.

The final requirement for your application is to provide three nutritious recipes that family members can prepare with preschoolers and explain the nutritional value of each. Offer strategies and suggestions to make cooking together an enjoyable learning experience for children.  Both application and content review assignments for week four are due on June 24th.