Teaching Preschoolers to Make Healthy Choices

At Bayside Discovery Center, we prioritize teaching preschoolers to make healthy choices through hands-on and guided learning. However, learning healthy habits should be reinforced at home as well. Teaching your child about a balanced diet and encouraging physical activity at home lays the foundation for healthy choices throughout their life.

Ways to Teach Preschoolers Healthy Eating Habits

Teaching your child healthy eating habits is essential for their growth and development. When children have a balanced diet, they have more energy and maintain a healthy weight. Reducing sugar and increasing protein, fiber, and good carbs improve your child’s concentration, brain function, sleep cycle, immune system, and bone and oral health. 

Here are some fun ways to get your child involved with healthy eating:

• Be a role model! Decrease junk food and fast food in your diet.
• Have regular family dinners.
• Have your child help with age-appropriate tasks while making dinner.
• Show your child healthy recipes and let them choose one night’s dinner.
• Bring them to the grocery store (bonus if it’s a health food store) and show them healthier versions of popular snacks.
• Introduce reading food labels.
• Play food bingo at a local farmers market.

Ways to Keep Your Child Active

Preschoolers need physical activity as an outlet for their energy, to develop motor skills, and maintain a healthy weight. Twenty percent of children ages 2-5 are overweight. One solution to this problem is more playtime! Learning to love exercise at this young age instills habits in your children that will stay with them into adulthood. 

Here are some easy ways to keep your child active:

• Encourage participation in sports like soccer, t-ball, and karate.
• Enroll them in swimming lessons.
• Go for a family bike ride.
• Rollerskate in your neighborhood.
• Dance to music.
• Play in the sprinkler. 
• Play with chalk or hula hoops in the backyard.

Healthy Activities at Bayside Discovery Center

At Bayside Discovery Center in Palm Bay, FL, we teach our Preschoolers to make healthy choices with our hands-on and engaging activities. We host fun field trips that are both educational and encourage physical exercise. We also incorporate movement activities into our schedule that are designed to improve your child’s motor skills, listening, and cooperation. Children love learning through our hands-on cooking and science activities, as well as our water activities during the summer.