Pre-schooler
3 to 6 years
Frequent feeding
Your pre-schooler needs frequent feeding to cope with the demands of the body and mind. Your pre-schooler’s regular top-ups include fats and proteins. Junk food is counter-productive for pre-schoolers. It is likely to sugar spike them; they experience a spurt of manic activity followed by a bad tempered slump.
As with the toddler years, this is not a time for dramatic vertical growth in your pre-schooler. The changes are happening in the brain and muscles. Brain stimulation and gross motor development occur at an exponential level during this phase, accordingly there are greater demands on the pre-schooler.
Simple meals for your pre-schooler
Pre-schoolers are extremely tired at the end of the day. If you want your child to eat a good supper, you may want to offer food around 4:00 or 5:00 pm. Be careful of making supper the most sensory taxing meal of the day. A pre-schoolers frequent feeding on a comfort food like a bowl of oats with nut butters and a side of full cream yoghurt and purée fruit will lead to a well-eaten meal and a satisfied belly. This all without the fight that often accompanies mealtimes at this age.
Pre-schoolers love helping
Your pre-schooler won’t have any problem being given simple jobs in the kitchen or at the table. In fact these are opportunities for her to show off her motor skills. Helping is also a great way to increase exposure to healthy foods.
