Starting Kindergarten

Kindergarten. For parents and children, it is a big mix of excitement as well as uncertainty as you both prepare for a new adventure.

I recently polled a group of preschoolers about what part of kindergarten they were most excited about. Running in the gym and getting to eat lunch at school were tied for first place. While I offered them advice to not to crash into their friends in the gym, we’ll talk nutrition tips here.

From years of supply teaching as an Early Childhood Educator in Kindergarten classrooms, I’ve had the opportunity to witness a wide range of elementary social dining situations. For many children, it is a whole new world eating socially without a parent looking over their shoulder. Whether you are 4 or 44, eating with your friends is so much fun! Educators do their very best to remind children to make good use of their time, but the reality is that the “kindies” often get distracted during nutrition breaks. It is up to us to set our children up for success. Starting Kindergarten

Hand Washing 101: Kindergarten children often like to pump soap and watch it go down the drain. This isn’t going to cut it. Show your child how to properly wash their hands & practice together. Singing the alphabet while hand washing is a great strategy for helping them scrub a little longer as well as practice their, “ABC’s.” Win-win in my books!
Practice with lunch dishes ahead of time. The ones with latches are easier to open and close for little hands. Let them eat from these dishes during the summer, that way they will be experts at opening and closing the dishes before school even starts.
Send water. Juice boxes often get wasted or spilled. Whole fruits are a more nutritious option and more likely to not be wasted.
Pack small bite sized foods. Peeling oranges or eating a large sandwich can be challenging with limited time.
Ask your child what they would like to have packed in their lunches. Make a list of their suggestions together and shop based on the list. Re-visit the list every few months to see if there are any new additions or things that should be removed for a little while.
It can be difficult to gauge how much food to send. Some days it will seem as though you can’t keep up with how much food they eat and other days, the lunch will appear untouched. Getting used to school and eating in a group setting takes time to get used to.