Ideas and Resources

MyPlate is the new food icon that reminds us to build a healthy plate with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, and fat-free or low-fat dairy at meal time. To learn more about building a healthy plate, visit ChooseMyPlate.gov. Watch nutrition videos, view sample menus, find recipes, and get healthy eating and physical activity tips.

Information for Parents and Providers on Health and Wellness

• Choose MyPlate
• 10 Tips Nutrition Education Series
• Eating Better On a Budget
• Be An Active Adult
• Be A Healthy Role Model for Children
• SuperTracker (Get personalized nutrition and physical activity plans, track foods and physical activities, and get tips and support to help make healthier choices.)
• MyPlate Facebook page (Check out tips and news from MyPlate.)
• MyPlate Pinterest page (Find hundreds of tasty, good-for-you recipes.)



Information to Promote Preschoolers’ Health and Wellness

• Health and Nutrition Information for Preschoolers
• Healthy Eating for Preschoolers Mini-poster
• Picky Eaters
• Snack Tips for Parents
• Cut Back On Your Kid’s Sweet Treats
• Kid-Friendly Veggies and Fruits

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)--Wellness Resources for Child Care Providers:
Find resources to help you promote physical activity, encourage healthy eating, and limit screen time, plus wellness policy resources (also in Spanish).

Tools from Child Care Aware^® of America (formerly NACCRRA):

• Alternatives to Using Food as a Reward (job aid)
• Healthy Menu Planning (guide)
• Making the Most of Meal Times (job aid)
• Non-Competitive & Active Games for Preschoolers (job aid)
• Preventing Childhood Obesity (letter for families)

Let's Move! Child Care Checklist Quiz

Other Must-See Resources:

First Years in the First State: Improving Nutrition & Physical
Activity in Delaware Child Care:
A “how-to” toolkit, developed by Nemours Health & Prevention Services (NHPS) for the Delaware Department of Education and funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Team Nutrition grant, that includes:

• administrator’s and menu planning guides
• shopping cheat sheet
• self-assessments
• 16 weeks of menu cycles and recipes
• shopping lists and budget-saving shopping tips
• age-appropriate physical activities

Child Care Provider’s Guide:
A simple stage-by-stage resource with information and tips about early childhood nutrition and physical activity (for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers), from Nemours’ KidsHealth.org, the most-visited children's health website in the world.

Healthy Habits for Life Resource Kit:
In partnership with Sesame Workshop, Nemours, and Nemours' KidsHealth.org, this guide (in English and Spanish) teaches child care providers and children concepts of nutrition and physical fitness using kids' favorite Sesame Street puppet friends. 

Nutrition & Fitness Center:
A collection of online articles, Q&As, and recipes from the award-winning KidsHealth.org.

Preventing Childhood Obesity in Early Care and Education Programs:
The national standards for nutrition, physical activity, and screen time for early care and education programs. The standards are for ALL types of early care and education settings - centers and family child care homes.

eXtension Alliance for Better Child Care Hands-on Activities Database:
A searchable database you can use to find activities for different age groups and seasons, as well as activities that help children learn specific skills.

Nutrition and Wellness Tips for Young Children: Provider Handbook for the Child Care and Adult Care Food Program

Understanding the Food Groups

• ChooseMyPlate.gov (from the USDA)
  
• Daily Food Plan for Your Preschooler (job aid from the USDA)

Nutritional Safety

KidsHealth resources:

• Allergic Reactions First-Aid Sheet (printable instructions)
• Choking First-Aid Sheet (printable instructions)
• Food Allergies (article)
• Food Safety (article)

About Beverages

KidsHealth articles:

• Calcium
• Healthy Drinks for Kids
• What Should Preschoolers Drink?

Recipes

• Lana’s Favorite Recipes (Find fun, simple recipes you can make with your kids – like Fruity Bug, Veggies Bagel Face, and Rainbow Vegetable Salad)
• Healthy Habits for Life Resource Kit (from Sesame Workshop, Nemours, and KidsHealth)
• Washington Grown Food Kit (healthy recipes for child care programs searchable by recipes in season, sample menus, and nutrition facts)
• SNAP-Ed Recipe Finder (find healthy, budget-friendly recipes, build a cookbook, and get tips for involving children in the kitchen)
• Healthy Eats From A to Z

KidsHealth recipes:

• Recipes (an assortment of meal and snack ideas)
• Cracker Stackers
• Crazy Combos
• Disappearing Zucchini Muffins
• Junior Salad Bar
• Mini Pizzas
• Peachy Parfaits

Activity Safety

Nemours' KidsHealth.org resources:

• Dehydration First-Aid Sheet (printable instructions)
• Heat Illness First-Aid Sheet (printable instructions)
• Playground Safety (article)

• 10 Tips: Be a Healthy Role Model for Children (letter from the USDA)
• SuperTracker (get personalized nutrition and physical activity plans, track foods and physical activities, and get tips and support to help make healthier choices)

• 10 Steps to Breastfeeding Friendly Child Care Centers (resource kit from the Wisconsin Dept. of Health Services)
• Breastfeeding FAQs: Safely Storing Breast Milk (article from KidsHealth)
• Breastfeeding FAQs: Solids and Supplementing (article from KidsHealth)
• Breastfeeding vs. Formula Feeding (article from KidsHealth)
• Child Care Tips: Breast Milk (poster from the USDA)
• Finger Foods for Babies (article from KidsHealth)
• How to Support a Breastfeeding Mother: A Guide for Child Care Centers (job aid from the Texas Dept. of State Health Services; click on the first PDF on the page to open)

• Long Island Head Start: Sowing the Seeds of the Future (Watch how children at Long Island Head Start learn to be fit, have fun, and enjoy nutritious meals)
• Motion Moments (the National Resource Center offers ideas for incorporating physical activity into your program for babies, toddlers,
  and preschoolers)
• Nutrition & Physical Activity in Child Care Settings series (the Arizona Dept. of Health Services offers videos about family-style meals, physical activity, breastfeeding, and infant nutrition)
• Sesame Workshop (Sesame Street, Nemours, and Nemours' KidsHealth.org present “The Get Healthy Now Show”; also check out tons of other videos about nutrition from the beloved Sesame Street characters)
• Core Nutrition Messages: Videos (nutrition education videos from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service to show to mothers of preschool children)
• Screen Free Moments: Promoting Healthy Habits (8-minute video of simple ways to limit or even eliminate screen time in your program)
• Starting Family Style Dining - Part 1 (one program shares what it has learned about family style dining and how to make it a success)
• Starting Family Style Dining - Part 2 (learn tips to help you switch to family style dining in your program)
• Farm to Keiki: Wellness Taking Root (see how one center is incorporating Farm to Preschool activities in their program - from gardening and cooking with kids to serving local food)
• Sesame Workshop (look for the following videos)
  
  • First Lady Michelle Obama talking to Elmo about health choices
  • “The Get Healthy Now Show” from Sesame Street, Nemours, and KidsHealth
  • Sesame Street characters teaching positive nutrition messages
• Making Health Easier: Healthy Changes Start in Preschool (watch how a California preschool teacher helps kids build healthy habits)
• Why Are Children Relunctant to Try New Foods? (hear child feeding expert Susan Johnson discuss how you can encourage kids to try new foods)
• How to Support Breastfeeding Mothers & Families: A Guide for Child Care Providers
• A Critical Head Start for Preschoolers: Eating Healthy Foods (Mount Hood Community College Head Start brings local fruits and vegetables to the table and into classroom education)
• In the Kitchen Video - Learning to Feed Themselves

Nemours' KidsHealth.org
Coloring Sheets:

• Color Your Salad
• Eat More Whole-Grain Foods
• Find the Fruits and Veggies
• Fruit and Veggie Crown
• Say Cheese
• What Comes Next?

Physical Activities & Games:

• Potter the Otter (Read this tale about water to children. Also in Spanish)
  
• Dance Activity
  
• Games for Preschoolers
  
• Games for Toddlers
  
• Healthy Habits for Life Resource Kit (from Sesame Workshop, Nemours, and KidsHealth)
• Safe Exploring for Preschoolers
  
• Safe Exploring for Toddlers
  
• eXtension Alliance for Better Child Care Hands-on Activities Database (searchable database you can use to find activities for different age groups and seasons, as well as activities that help children learn specific skills)
• Healthy Moves From A to Z
• Tummy Talk (fun computer game you can use to introduce kids to the idea of listening to hunger and fullness cues)

• Consejos Para Padres: Opciones para una Alimentación Saludable
• Momentos Sin Pantalla: Promover Hábitos Saludables
• La Nutria Potter (Un cuento acerca del agua)
• Active Early/Niños Activos (A Wisconsin guide for improving childhood physical activity)
• Hábitos Saludables para toda la Vida/Healthy Habits for Life Resource Kit (from Sesame Workshop, Nemours, and KidsHealth)
• Centro de Nutrición y Salud/Nutrition & Fitness Center (a collection of online articles and recipes from KidsHealth)
• MiPlato/MyPlate (from the USDA)
• Lista de Revisión Familiar para la Nutrición en el Cuidado y Educación Infantil/Family Checklist for Nutrition in Early Child Care and Education (from the National Resource Center)
• Lista de Revisión Familiar para la Actividad Física en el Cuidado y Educación Infantil/Family Checklist for Physical Activity in Early Child Care and Education (from the National Resource Center)
• A Moverse Hoy Calendario de Actividades/Get Moving Today Activity Calendar (developed by Head Start Body Start)
• SNAP-Ed Buscador de Recetas/SNAP-Ed Recipe Finder (from the USDA)
• ¡Listos para Movernos! Recurso para Actividades Físicas/We Have the Moves! Physical Activity Resource (from Sesame Street Workshop)
• Consejos de Crianza Positiva/Positive Parenting Tips (from Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
• 10 Consejos para Ayudarle a que los Dólares para la Comida le Rindan/10 Tips to Help You Stretch Your Food Dollars
• Hacer Hábitos Saludables Más Fácil en Guarderías Infantiles/Making Health Easier: Healthy Changes Start in Preschool (Este video destaca los esfuerzos de una organización educativa, Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP), para mantener a los niños sanos empezando a una edad temprana.)
• Exploremos los Alimentos Juntos/Exploring Food Together (Las actividades de este libro están diseñadas para ayudarle a enseñarles a los niños sobre los alimentos y sobre una alimentación sana.)
  
• Momentos de Movimiento/Motion Moments (El Centro Nacional de Recursos ofrece ideas para incorporar la actividad física en su programa para los bebés, niños pequeños, y preescolares.)
• Apague La TV, Encienda El Juego