MOVE
Healthy Habits Skills
Offering infants and toddlers nutritious foods sets the stage for healthy eating habits
At A Glance
As young children explore new foods, they may be more or less willing to try unfamiliar items. We can promote healthy eating habits by considering children’s preferences and needs and offering nutritious foods multiple times. We can allow children to decide whether to eat, what to eat, and how much to eat. When we encourage children to eat healthy foods, we nourish their bodies and make it more likely that they will reach for healthy foods in the future.What It Looks Like
A quick glance at how you can support infants' and toddlers' healthy eating habits
Offer Choice
Talk About Food
Support children’s positive thoughts and habits around healthy eating by talking about food in fun, positive ways.
Try New Foods
Model and narrate healthy food choices by labeling food and encouraging children to try new foods.
EXPLORING HEALTHY HABITS THROUGH BOOKS
Rah, Rah, Radishes!
Written and illustrated by April Pulley Sayre, this book introduces a wide variety of vegetables using a rhythmic chant and celebrates their different looks and flavors.
EXPLORING HEALTHY HABITS THROUGH BOOKS
1 Big Salad
TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE
Support Through Gardening
FAMILY CONNECTION
Promoting Healthy Habits
CONSIDERING EQUITY
Reducing Food Insecurity
Activity Cards for Infant and Toddler Classrooms
Part of the STREAMin3 curriculum, these activity cards provide simple and fun ways to help older infants and toddlers develop healthy habits
Focus on Feeding
Use puppets or dolls to model feeding and talk about feeling hungry, full, or energized after eating.
Mindful Munching
Draw attention to the way different foods look, smell, and taste as you share a meal with children.
We’re Going on a Food Hunt
A scavenger hunt can be a fun way to label and talk about different foods.
Get Our Resource Guide
Includes questions and activities to guide your use of the videos, book suggestions, and activity cards featured for each of the Core Skills
