Food and nutrition in early childhood development

There are various dangers that children who experience hunger and malnutrition are vulnerable, which can affect their development and well-being. According to Robertson (2001) hunger and malnutrition can lead to stunting or impaired brain function especially to children who were born by mothers that did not have the required balanced diet during pregnancy.  Poor nutrition and hunger can lead to memory and learning deficits, lower academic achievement and behavioral challenges among children and adolescence. Hunger and malnutrition can affect productivity, fetal development, slow thinking, stunted growth and susceptibility to food and nutrition related illness. Robertson (2012) notes that children may suffer from hunger or malnutrition because of  parents who may have no time, knowledge about food and nutrition or capacity to prepare meal that contain all the required nutrients in a child’s meal (Robertson, 2012).

            There are different ways that can be used to help preschoolers become more physically fit and active, which will help them in promoting their motor skill competence. The move-it groove-it breaks after classroom activities encourages these preschoolers to engage in physical activities that can make them become active. In this method, children move and groove along to fun music in a variety of movements. A timer can be set to remind preschoolers after every academic activity that it is time to move again. The “Pump those muscles” activity is another strategy that preschool teachers can use to help these children become more physically fit and active. In this activity, the teacher fills 2-liter plastic bottles with sand, beans or rice to make dumbbells. The preschoolers are asked to hold the dumbbells with both hands and push them above their heads as “pushing to the sky”. The children can also be asked to perform the “around the world” abdominal activity by holding the dumbbells to their chest, stand with their legs shoulder-width apart; and then turn while twisting from side to side. A preschool teacher can help preschoolers become physically fit through literacy activities such as “animals in the rain forest” activities whereby he or she reads a rain forest book, describes the animals and asks the children to imitate the movements or actions of the animals. For example asking the children to imitate a monkey by jumping around on their hands and feet or a tree by standing with their hands above their heads and swaying. Adults who work with preschool children can assist them become physically fit by offering appropriate motor skill development equipment and developing structured physical activity schedules after every academic activity daily. Preschool teachers can also acquire great resources on helping preschool children become physically fit and active from public libraries that offer motor skills development CDs, DVDs and book or through online journals (Goodway & Robinson, 2006).

            Peanut allergy is identified as the most common food allergy among children. It can cause severe allergic reaction that can be life threatening although studies claim that about 20 per cent of children having peanut allergy outgrow this allergy. Peanut allergy reaction can be caused by casual contact with peanut like touching individual peanut or peanut butter. This contact becomes serious when the peanut eventually comes in contact with the mouth, eyes, or nose when a child with peanut allergy having peanut on his or her finger touches these parts. Peanut allergies in children can affect everyone in a childhood development setting and at home because allergic reactions can be severe and life threatening if appropriate care to eliminate reaction causes is not provided in the setting such as not allowing peanut or its products in the environment. Several ways can be used to avoid these allergic situations including creation of awareness in early childhood development environments to avoid accidental contact with peanut, early childhood development professionals developing a plan of action for preventing exposure and managing peanut allergy reactions, and informing everyone in an early childhood development environment the names of children who are allergic to peanut and what they need to do to avoid them being exposed to peanut or its products.. These situations can be used to provide positive learning opportunities by encouraging parents and children to read the food labels and avoid buying products containing peanut, educating children on the importance of washing their hands after eating peanut to avoid children with peanut allergy coming into contact with it (Robertson, 2012).

  

Reference

Goodway, J. D. & Robinson, L.E. (2006). Skiping towards an active start: Promoting physical      activity in preschoolers. Accessed on April 2^nd 2014 from          http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200605/GoodwayBTJ.pdf  

Robertson, C. (2012). Safety, Nutrition and Health in Early Education. Wadsworth Pub Co.