Using Food Experiences to Enhance Social Competence
by Beverly B Swanson, Ed D, Project Executive, National Head Start Education Training Project, Aspen Systems Corporation, Rockville, Maryland
Providing at least one-third of a child's daily nutrients, Head Start grantees have the opportunity to take advantage of routine meal and snack times to foster language development, an area that research links to a child's level of social competence and school success.
By following some fundamental steps, Head Start staff will be able to increase children's capacities for developing both sound nutritional habits and language skills. The following teaching strategies are based on research in the areas of language acquisition and adult-child social interactions. They are offered for on going reference as Head Start staff plan for meeting children's nutritional needs and emphasizing language development:
· Set an Example. Head Start staff are in a position to take advantage of this effective teaching strategy by modeling rich, descriptive language while elaborating and expanding on children's language during meal and snack times.
· Ask Open-Ended Questions. Staff should set the tone during family-style meals by speaking quietly and listening to individual children as they talk. They should ask open-ended questions that require more than a "yes" or no" response, or follow up a "yes" or ' "no" response with "Why?" This gives children opportunities to use and practice language. Staff must also be aware and sensitive to family customs where children are not encouraged to participate in table side conversations.
· Compare, Contrast, Classify and Sequence. Encourage children to try new and different foods at tasting parties and to describe the attributes of the food in terms of taste, texture, shape, and color. Compare and contrast these foods to familiar ones and classify them into groups (another important development skill). Consider the developmental appropriateness of the classification scheme for your particular group of children: for example, color only; or color and size; or color, shape, and size. Sequencing foods by size is another developmentally appropriate activity for young children.
· Plan Time for Observation and Discussion. Allow ample time for children to observe and talk when preparing nutritious fruits and vegetables for their snacks. Model good listening skills by giving close attention to each child's response before moving on to the next question. Invite each child to listen to the others so that the language concept of turn-taking is reinforced.
Involve Parents. Plan activities that parents can do with their children that relate to nutrition. For example, send nutritional information home with children to share with their parents to provide another language opportunity as well as a way for parents to learn nutritional facts. Encourage parents to use family meal times as an opportunity to develop children's language, along with grocery shopping trips. During free play, parent volunteers can model the strategies they see the teachers use during meal times.
Foster Thinking Skills. Cooking activities, such as making applesauce from real apples and making cream into butter, provide a multitude of language experiences and develop thinking skills as teachers encourage children to guess, observe, and draw conclusions.
Observe and Appraise Children's Language. The classroom teacher may use snack and meal times to observe and record children's language usage. For example, the teacher may discover that Jimmy calls a red apple, orange, and Keisha may only use one-or two-word utterances in response to an open-ended question. This valuable information can be used to plan for future language development in the class room and to share with parents in planning activities for their children at home.
Reinforce Multicultural Principles. Invite parents and volunteers to bring in recipes from their cultural backgrounds and prepare them for a tasting party. Teachers may also gather food-related information on various cultures to share with the children. Children need opportunities to converse with each other and adults; therefore, ask parents and volunteers to spend time interacting with the children and encouraging them to share food-related information about their own cultures and interests. Time spent sharing between cultures fosters the acceptance of all cultures - an important Head Start value.
These are some strategies classroom teachers, aides, and parents can use to promote healthy nutrition and solid language development. Staff should use daily opportunities to encourage healthy lifestyles and build language and social skills.
For additional resources, see the Resource section of this Bulletin.
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