Every child needs to learn the ABC’s of life. When it comes to establishing healthy habits, you can teach them how to “ABCDE” (Act Boldly to Change Diet and Exercise).

Why is this important?

• Good nutrition and plenty of exercise are the building blocks for strong growth, healthy development, and lifelong wellbeing for children.

• These days, too many children are not receiving the proper nutrition or enough exercise:

  • - They are not eating enough - an estimated 16 to 17 million children live in homes where they are at risk of going hungry (approx. 1 in 6 households).

  • - They are not eating enough healthy food – an estimated 1 in 3 children are overweight and about 1 in 6 (ages 6-17) are obese.

  • - They are not getting enough exercise – only 30% of children (aged 6 to 17) participated in 20 minutes plus of vigorous physical activity on a daily basis. Children need to get 60 minutes of exercise on a daily basis.

What are the benefits of good nutrition and daily exercise for kids?

Mental and behavioral benefits

• Good nutrition is essential to healthy brain development in children which is, of course, critical to learning.

• Children who exercise regularly and eat healthily are likely to:

  • - perform better academically 

  • - feel better about themselves, their bodies, and their abilities

  • - cope with stress and regulate their emotions better

  • - avoid feelings of low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression.

• Establishing healthy eating and exercise habits early in life can lead to long term healthy behavior in adulthood.

Physical benefits

• Children need a wide variety of nutrients (e.g., protein, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, minerals, vitamins) to assist in their daily growth and development and to protect them from childhood illnesses.

• Daily exercise also helps children to build stronger muscles and bones and limit excess body fat.

• Healthy eating also cuts down on risk for cavities, eating disorders and unhealthy weight control behaviors (i.e., fasting, skipping meals, eating very little food, vomiting, using diet pills, laxatives, or diuretics), malnutrition, and iron deficiency.

• Healthy eating and consistent physical activity help to prevent chronic illnesses that appear in adulthood associated with obesity, e.g., heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and several forms of cancer.

What are the effects of different settings on the eating and exercise habits of kids?

In the home:

• Lack of access to healthy, wholesome foods and inadequate physical activity - contributes to kids becoming overweight and not getting adequate nutrition for their growth and development. Children need at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity in the form of physical play or sports.

• Hunger – kids who do not get enough to eat are at risk of developing chronic health conditions, behavioral problems, academic struggles, anxiety, depression, and even obesity especially if they only have access to poor quality processed food.

• Unhealthy weight control behaviors - have been found to co-occur with obesity. Many adolescents, particularly teenage girls, have body image concerns and engage in these behaviors threatening both their physical and mental health. 

• Media effects –

  • - Food advertising - targeted at children is dominated by commercials for unhealthy food (e.g., candy, sugary cereals, sugary beverages, processed snack foods, fast food restaurants). Food advertising is pervasive and can be found on multiple media platforms (TV, web, and even embedded in computer games).

  • - Advertising by other industries - often objectifies girls and women, contributing to body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression.

  • - TV watching – television viewing is linked to childhood obesity because it displaces physical activity, increases snacking behavior while watching, exposes kids to potentially harmful advertising, and reduces their resting metabolism.

At school:

• Risks to academic achievement - result from children not getting adequate nutrition and physical activity. Hunger can be particularly damaging to children’s progress in school and cognitive development overall.

• Overabundance of unhealthy foods - too many schools offer poor nutritional choices in the form of unhealthy school lunches or even vending machines filled with candy, processed snacks, and sugary beverages.

• Lack of opportunities for physical activity - many schools have scaled back requirements for a daily recess and do not prioritize physical education opportunities for children at every age.

• Peer behaviors – peers can serve as remarkably powerful role models for children and may share their unhealthy eating or exercise habits with them.

• Stigma of being overweight – can lead to social and psychological distress (e.g., depression, low self esteem). Bullying and teasing from peers can be particularly damaging and teachers and school staff may attribute less desirable personality characteristics to obese youth and their families.

In the neighborhood:

• Overabundance of unhealthy foods – there are a growing number of communities called “food deserts” where supermarkets and grocery stores are scarce or charge higher prices for healthy foods than processed foods. In addition, many underserved communities are populated with fast food restaurants that are often located near schools and playgrounds.

• The built environment – lack of adequate and safe parks, bike lanes, playgrounds, recreational facilities, or walkways can restrict opportunities for children and teens to get exercise.

Why are you critical to establishing healthy behaviors in your kids?

• You are role models

  • - Children are instinctively primed to imitate their parents and caregivers. They are incredibly sensitive to the messages that are sent about eating and exercise. You exert the most influence on your children’s behavior and can model healthy attitudes and habits toward food and physical activity that persist as they grow up.

• You are gatekeepers

  • - Parents and caregivers control the types of food children have access to in the home and can maximize access to healthy, wholesome foods (fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and low-fat dairy).

  • - You can also monitor children’s diet, exercise, and limit media consumption (TV/video watching, web surfing, and videogames).

•  You are taste-setters

  • - Parents and caregivers significantly influence the likes and dislikes that children attach to certain foods. These influences can last a lifetime. Each of us can probably remember a favorite home cooked meal from our childhood. There is even research that suggests that this begins in infancy; children who are breastfed may be exposed to different flavors in their mother’s breast milk than the sugars and fats in infant formula. Breastfeeding may provide protection from the development of obesity.

  • - Eating with your children at regular family mealtimes can help establish positive nutrition habits and healthy weights for children.
    

• You are advocates

  • - Parents and caregivers can push local leaders to introduce affordable transportation (e.g., bus or shuttle lines) to supermarkets or grocery stores if there are none in their communities.

  • - You can call for the construction of parks or playgrounds and restriction of fast food places in your neighborhood.

  • - You can push school administrators to introduce after-school programs that incorporate physical activity or nutrition education, healthier school lunches, and policies that eliminate the use of vending machines on school grounds.

  • - You along with members of your community can volunteer to coach afterschool sports.

Spectacular changes in growth and development characterise the first years of life. From birth to first steps, is an exciting and eventful time for parents and baby alike. Movement and play are part of development in the first years and may influence important physical activity habits and capacities in later years.

Physical growth in the first year

Your baby will grow quickly in the first year of life. The average full-term baby weighs 3500 grams (seven and a half pounds) and is approximately 50 centimetres in length. Boys and girls differ a little in birth weights, and there are small differences between birth weights of babies from different cultures.

Movement and development in the first year

Your baby’s growth and development may be variable from birth. Each baby goes through similar stages, in the same order, however the timing and rate at which stages occur can vary a lot among babies.

At first, babies’ movements are involuntary and part of the reflex actions they are born with. At about eight weeks, babies start to move their arms, legs and body purposely, for example, reaching to touch. Lots of time and practice allow babies to develop stronger, ’refined’ and more definitive movements, such as grasping objects.

Movement begins with reflexes. Some reflex actions are present at birth and others appear later, in the first few months of life. Reflexes have three main purposes:

Survival and safety (sucking for feeding and grasping)
Postural development (the pull to sit response, showing little or no head lag)
Development of muscles that are used in movement patterns later in infancy (the stepping reflex which occurs within the first weeks of life when baby is held under the arms and their feet are placed on a flat surface).

Why are movement and play important in the first year?
Play opportunities start from birth. Through play, babies learn movement, and how to interact with the environment and the people around them. Movement stimulates the senses (such as sight, sound, and touch) and challenges babies to learn new skills and emotions.

Tips for play

Parents are the ’best toy’ for their baby.
Babies respond best to faces (especially their parents’), patterns and strong colours.
Rhythm and music are important; they help to develop listening skills, language and coordination, and are a good way to encourage playful movements.
Indoor or outdoor settings can be used for play, as long as your baby is supervised and safe.

Tummy time and floor play

‘Tummy time’ can happen any time you carry, position or play with babies while they are on their stomach. ‘Tummy time’ is important for the development of sensory and movement control and needs to be part of baby’s daily routine from a very early age. By the end of the first year of life, your baby will have learnt about movements of the body and developed strength, body awareness and the physical skills needed for rolling, grasping, sitting, crawling and standing. For this reason babies need plenty of opportunities to play on their tummy during waking hours. To make the most of ‘tummy time’, you may like to get down on the floor with your baby, or place toys or objects around your baby that encourage grasping, leg kicking and head lifting. ‘Tummy time’ is safe and beneficial when babies are awake and supervised but never put your baby on their tummy to sleep. Always put your baby on the back to sleep, from birth. Safe sleeping habits can decrease the risk of SIDS and sleeping accidents.

Milestones in movement patterns

The first months
The first months of life provide plenty of challenges and lots of excitement and learning for your baby. Babies will gradually control their bodies and begin to learn how things work.

Objects and toys that are textured, colourful, make sounds and are ’graspable’ are best in the first months of life.

Three–four months

Reaching, finger play, grasping, leg and arm movements, rolling and head lifting are part of development from three to four months of age. Play ideas include access to rattles, mirrors (placed away from baby), tummy time mats, mobiles and toys that reward movements with sounds and music.

Four–six months

Your baby’s movement at four to six months includes rolling, moving forward, pushing the legs, grasping objects, developing stronger head control and developing moods and emotions. At five months a baby can grasp a toy with one hand, and then transfer it to the other. With help, a baby may also be able to lift up to a standing position as early as five months. At six months muscles are often strong enough for baby to sit, with support. At four to six months, toys that move, make sound, or vary in pattern, texture and colour, are appropriate.

Seven–eight months

By seven to eight months babies can use creeping, and bottom shuffling as their means of ’locomotion’ (moving). At seven to nine months babies may also start to crawl properly. At first, the arms tend to do most of the work, though very soon your baby will be able to move more smoothly and with very little effort. Between seven and eight months of age, babies may start to support their weight during standing.

Eight–12 months

At eight to12 months, a baby’s control of grasping is strong and refined enough to pick up some objects. Babies may begin to stand and progress to walking while holding furniture at around eight months of age. At approximately 12 months of age your baby may take their first steps to walking by pulling up on the furniture and moving round it. Eventually baby will stand back, holding on with one hand, poised to walk alone.

Babies of this age enjoy repetition through toys that prompt pushing and pulling, stacking and releasing and gentle, rhythmical sounds.

Role of parents and carers

Parents and carers are the most important people in a child’s life. For health and development, it is essential that babies and toddlers be given endless opportunities for movement and play. Although the role of a parent or carer changes over the years, it is vital to engage in some play and movement in the early years of life. Good role modelling from parents and carers may also help promote a life long enjoyment of physical activity. A love of outdoor play can start in the first few months of life with frequent pram walks and time spent outside.

Things to keep in mind

In the first years of life, sleep is essential. But it is important for parents to make the most of waking time for play, development, and movement.


Tips for parents to make the most of waking time

Spend time playing with your baby every day.
Ensure baby spends minimal time in infant carriers or seats.
Ensure baby spends minimal time in walking aids, indoor swings or baby bouncers as these limit free movement.
Ensure children under two are not watching television or other screen devices.
Provide daily play opportunities through a wide variety of interaction with parents and carers, and toys or play objects suitable for your child’s age.
Check for safety, never use balloons and objects smaller than the baby’s fist.
Check commercially available toys for age-appropriate labels.
Ensure play areas are safe and free of sharp or dangerous objects.

To be healthy, children should aim to eat a variety of healthy foods every day. The growth and development of your children depends on it. By eating healthy, your children will have the energy they need to play, learn, concentrate better, sleep better and build stronger teeth and bones.

1. Enjoy a variety of foods. Serve up a healthy variety of foods each day. These include fruit and vegetables, legumes (such as dried peas, beans and lentils), wholegrain cereals, low-fat dairy, lean meat, fish and skinless chicken. Reduced fat milks are not suitable for young children under 2 years.

2. Shop healthy. If you haven’t got a healthy variety in your kitchen pantry or cupboard, you can’t put it on the table.

3. Go for quality, not quantity. Children’s serves may be small. It all depends on their age and appetite. Variety is the important ingredient.

4. Stick to three meals and two snacks every day. Growing children need to be fed regularly and often.

5. Begin their day with a healthy breakfast. It improves concentration and builds stamina.

6. Give your children choices. Offer kids a few healthy choices. For instance, ask if they would like an apricot or a plum, beans or broccoli, an egg or a tuna sandwich.

7. Lead by example. If the kids see you eating well and enjoying a wide variety of healthy foods they are likely to join in too.

8. Freeze in summer. Frozen fruits make great summer snacks. Try frozen grapes, bananas and mango wedges.

9. Keep warm in winter. Corn on the cob, baked potatoes, hot homemade popcorn, baked beans and stewed fruits can really hit the spot on cold
winter days.

10. Go for a dip. Set up a colourful vegie platter with a variety of dips or salsa.

11. Give your children water instead of juices, cordials and fizzy drinks. These drinks are full of energy and can often take away their appetite for other foods.

12. Set a sweet limit. Children don’t need sweet drinks but if you do include sweet drinks in your child’s diet, set a limit. That could be one small glass of fruit or vegetable juice, around 125ml, 1-2 times a week.

13. Make family meal times part of your routine. Whenever possible, sit and eat together as a family and have the TV turned off.

14. Lunchboxes that go crunch. Skip the chips. Fruit and vegetables in season make a great snack or lunchbox addition. Try corn on the cob, carrot and cucumber sticks, green beans, cherry tomatoes, celery, stone fruit, grapes or berries.

15. Family food – include everyone. Encourage children to enjoy the family foods and meals from an early age (about 12 months). Children will learn to eat what the family eats if they are given the same food and encouraged to try it.

16. Be persistent – you can’t afford to give up. It’s common for all kids to love a certain food one day and hate it the next. Just keep offering them healthy choices and they’ll soon be eating a wider variety.

17. If at first you don’t succeed then try, try again. Kids can be stubborn. But be patient. You may need to offer a new food 10 times or more before your child will accept it.

18. Get the kids in the kitchen. Encourage kitchen skills by having children make a sandwich or salad. Let them wash fruit and vegetables and make a simple green salad, tabouli or a fruit salad. Being involved will increase a child’s willingness to try new foods.

19. Be consistent. If your child isn’t hungry for healthy food, refrain from offering unhealthy substitutes. This will only encourage eating for reasons other than hunger.

20. Give them an encouraging word. Try not to force your child to eat. A much better technique is to praise them when they make a healthy food choice.

21. Try not to use food to punish or reward a child. A hug or a book is a much better alternative to food.

22. Hungry or not? Children sometimes eat when they’re bored, sad or lonely. Help your child to understand when they are eating for reasons other than hunger.

23. Let them make their own decisions. At the end of the day, it’s up to your child to decide whether or not to eat and how much. Your job is to offer healthy foods at regular intervals.

24. Call in an expert. If needed, get professional help to solve problems or keep the family motivated. Simply talk with your doctor, health practitioner or dietitian.