Nutrition

NUTRITIOUS SNACKS

Play Island Explorers Child Care Centre provides nutritious snacks for our half day preschool program, and our before and after school program. The children will enjoy lots of kid friendly snacks which are both healthy and delicious. All of our snacks are nut free, and follow Kids Health for great recipes, and food choices. Eating healthy is very important for young children. Young minds and bodies need a good source of nutrients, in order for the body and mind to function efficiently on a daily basis.

Healthy snacks help to satisfy hunger between meals and boost energy. They can also round out the diet, ensuring that children are getting all of the nutrients they need to fuel their growth and development. Learning to eat and enjoy healthy snacks encourages kids to develop healthy eating habits.

Healthy Snack Menus

Our Child Care Centre follows a two week menu which is repeated, every two weeks. Our menu is posted on our parent board for review. 

For more information, please contact our centre and we will gladly provide you with more details on our weekly menus.

Tips for Parents

Snacks and Preschoolers

Control is still a key issue at this age, so preschoolers also might enjoy the chance to choose their snack from the options you present. The desire for sweets can be quite strong at this age, but you can avoid the struggles. Don’t offer candy and cookies at snack time. You can decide not to stock them at all or, if you do, to keep them out of sight.

Preschoolers are just learning to label their feelings, and they’ll often say “I’m hungry.” But they could just be bored, tired, or in need of some attention. Figure out what your child really needs. It may be that some playtime with you or a change of scenery could end the cries of “I’m hungry.” Also, when kids do need a snack, make sure it’s eaten at the table and not in front of the TV.

Healthy snacks for preschoolers include:

• cut-up fruit or applesauce
• yogurt
• sliced or chopped veggies
• whole-grain crackers topped with cheese

Snacks and School-Age Kids

With homework, activities, lessons, and sports, school-age kids are busier, and probably more independent, than ever. Some may still need three meals and two snacks per day — usually one mid-morning and one after school.

But the morning snack could become unnecessary depending on lunchtime at school and as kids get older. Talk with your kids to find out.

Unless you have an especially early dinner time, most kids still need an after-school snack to help them stay focused on homework and other after-school commitments. Try to pack healthy snacks for after-school activities of kids who aren’t coming right home.

Kids who come straight home after school probably can start fixing their own snacks (with permission, of course). Leave things in the fridge that can be grabbed quickly — veggie sticks and dips, yogurt and berries. If you’re serving fruit or a salad with dinner, consider letting kids eat that early to take the edge off.

School-age kids are capable of understanding why it’s important to eat healthy, but more than ever they look to the people they love as role models. Make healthy snacking a family affair and your kids will take it to heart.

Here are some snacks that school-age kids might enjoy:

• low-sugar, whole-grain breakfast cereal with low-fat milk
• low-fat string cheese
• fruit smoothies made with low-fat milk or yogurt
• nuts and raisins
• whole-wheat pita slices, cut-up veggies, and hummus
• whole-grain pretzels
• fruit slices dipped in low-fat flavored yogurt