For many of us, labelling foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ feels like common sense. We want children to make ‘healthy’ choices that support optimal growth and development, so we guide them towards eating more of the ‘good’ foods and limiting the ‘bad’ ones. But when it comes to supporting children’s long-term wellbeing — and especially their relationship with food — this approach can do more harm than good.
So what should we be doing instead?
The recent shift in research and best practice suggests that educators don’t need to teach children about nutrition. Instead, their job is to help them learn about food. It’s not developmentally appropriate to be teaching about nutrition under the age of 9, so we don’t need to teach children about the nutritional components of foods, or what foods do for them. Instead, for this age group, we should expand children’s learning about food by talking about:
- The sensory characteristics of foods (for example, their colour, shape, texture)
- Where food comes from (i.e. what grows where and when)
- How we connect and celebrate with food (by discussing different cuisines and cultural food traditions)
This is based on work across the US, Canada and Australia, and you can read more about it here and here.
Why does it matter how we talk about food with young children?
ECEC environments are facing many complex challenges when it comes to food, health and wellbeing, and some of the most pressing are emerging earlier than many people expect. Many people assume that harmful ideas around food don’t develop until the teenage or adult years, but we know they’re starting earlier than ever. This is the current problem we’re facing:
- 24% of childcare professionals have seen body confidence issues in children aged 3-5 years old (PACEY, 2016)
- 31% of childcare professionals have heard a child label themselves as ‘fat’ (PACEY, 2016)
- 19% of childcare professionals have seen children reject food because ‘it will make them fat’ (PACEY, 2016)
When we get in early with positive and supportive messaging about food and bodies, we help children build resilience before they encounter external pressure from peers, family and media later in life.
So what do we need to stop and start doing?
Instead of: Calling foods ‘junk’, ‘good’ or ‘bad’ (or using any label that describes food in a way that implies a value judgement)
Try: Calling the food what it is (for example, ‘strawberry’, ‘sandwich’ or ‘cupcake’) and talking about how it nourishes our bodies and why we enjoy it.
Instead of: Saying things like “just one more bite”, pressuring young people to eat or commenting on how much they are eating
Try: Trusting young people to respond to their hunger and fullness cues. This is based on the “I provide, they decide” concept from Ellyn Satter’s Division of Responsibility model, which you can learn more about here.
Want practical tools to put this into action?
Shifting how we talk about food can feel simple in theory, but is often harder in busy, real-world early learning environments. Our Body Blocks professional development program is designed to support educators of children aged from birth-8 years with practical, age-appropriate strategies to empower young children to develop positive relationships with food, movement and their bodies from the very beginning of their lives.
The program is 100% free and includes:
- Seven short self-paced online video modules (totalling 30 minutes)
- Educator workbook: summaries and worksheets for each module, as well as checklists for action, to help you stay on track as you work through the professional learning modules
- Learning Experiences booklet: play-based, low-cost, adaptable activities that you can use straight away to support children’s positive attitudes towards food, movement and bodies
- A personalised certificate of completion for your PD records
- A community space where you can leave comments, ask questions and get advice on how to answer tricky questions or manage situations in your centre. Think of it as direct access to our experts when you need it most!
The best part is, it actually works! 96% of educators who completed Body Blocks recommend it to others. Join them today and start making a difference for the children in your care — access the program here.
