Pre-school

Children
3-6 years old

Characteristics of Preschool
Children
Intellectual Characteristics
think very concretely and literally, not
abstractly or figuratively as youth and adults
do; to a preschool child, thingsareas they
appear to be.
are not capable of reasoning or organizing
abstract faith concepts along logical lines.
learn through their experiences at home,
church, preschool, caregivers.
learn with their whole bodies; love to taste,
touch, move, explore, smell, watch, and
wonder.

Characteristics of Preschool
Children
Intellectual Characteristics

are just beginning to develop some literacy

skills; some can write their own name,
recognize the letters of the alphabet, and
count to twenty.
love to use language to please adults; right
answers do not necessarily indicate
comprehension.
enjoy being told stories and read to;
repetition an important way to learn.
are often easily distracted from staying on
task.

Characteristics of Preschool
Children

Social Characteristics

are blissfully egocentric; see the world through

their own eyes.
are developmentally incapable of understanding
anothers perspective or emotions.
are self-centered, yet are significantly influenced
by others, especially mom, dad, teachers, other
significant adults.
are on the verge of experiencing a wider world of
people; many young children still want to play
alone and must make a real effort to have any
meaningful play with others.

Characteristics of Preschool
Children
Spiritual Characteristics

have a growing sense that God is very special and

real rather than pretend.
tend to have a very literal concept of God, perhaps
as a grandfather figure who lives up there.
readily accept what you say about God.
sense that God loves them and cares for them.
enjoy some Bible stories, especially about
Jesus; want stories retold often.

Characteristics of Preschool
Children
Spiritual Characteristics

can develop attitudes of love and trust toward

Jesus and God.
do not yet have a built-in control (conscience) that
nudges them toward right behavior for its own
sake; do the right thing out of fear of punishment
or to win approval.
sense that church is a good place to be..
recite simple prayers ; in some cases may add
own ideas to form prayers.

Characteristics of Preschool
Children
Physical Characteristic

Climbs well

Walks up and downstairs with alternating feet

Kicks ball
Run easily
Pedals tricycle
Bends over without falling

Allowed Food
Starchy foods (carbohydrates)
Offer these at every meal and some
snack times. They include breakfast
cereals, pasta, rice, couscous,
potatoes, sweet potatoes, yam,
plantain and any foods made from
flour such as bread, crackers, scones
and pancakes.
Fruit and vegetables
Preschoolers may take some time to
learn to eat a variety of these,
particularly vegetables. Keep offering
them at each meal so that your
preschooler learns that they are
always part of a normal meal. Fruits
are often more popular. Cut them into
finger foods to make them easier to
eat and always include fruit as part of
the second course or pudding.

Allowed Food
High iron and high protein foods
Offer these at one or two meals each
day. They include meat, fish, eggs,
nuts and pulses. Pulses are foods
such as kidney beans, chickpeas,
hummus, lentils and dhal. Offer soft,
tender cuts of meat as some
preschoolers find hard, chewy meats
challenging.
Milk, cheese and yogurt
Offer your child these foods about
three times a day. Dairy products
provide plenty of calcium for growing
bones, but are extremely low in iron.
Preschoolers need less milk than
babies and should not be given large
bottles of milk.

Restricted Food
Is there anything I shouldn't feed my preschooler?
Itisimportanttobecarefulwithfoodsthatmaycausechoking:
Slippery foods such as whole grapes; large pieces of meats,
poultry, and hot dogs; candy and cough drops.
Small, hard foods such as nuts, seeds, popcorn, chips, pretzels,
raw carrots, and raisins.
Sticky foods such as peanut butter and marshmallows.
Always cut up foods into small pieces and watch your child while
he or she is eating.
Also, your child may have some food allergies. The most common
food allergies are milk, eggs, peanuts and other nuts, soybeans,
wheat, fish, and shellfish. Many children grow out of food allergies.
If you think your child might have a food allergy, talk with your
doctor to be sure.

What do I do if my child is a picky

eater?
Offer new foods one at a time, and remember that children may
need to try a new food 10 or more times before they accept it! Also,
offer new foods at the start of meals when your child is more hungry.
Avoid short order cooking. Serve at least one food you know your
child will like, but then expect him or her to eat the same foods as
the rest of the family.
Make food simple, plain, and recognizable. Some kids don't like food
that is mixed (like a casserole) or food that is touching.
Sometimes kids will get stuck on a particular food. This is normal
and is not harmful. You can always include other options with the
food they are stuck on to add variety. However, if your child does
not eat anything from a whole food group for more than two weeks,
talk with a dietitian or your doctor.
Never force your child to eat a food he or she doesn't like. Offer
multiple choices so that he or she can choose something he or she

Feeding Problems of Preschooler

with Caregiver Approach
Normal feeding
depends on the successful and interaction of child's health,
development, experience and environment.

Normal eating behavior

eat a lot one day, a little the
next
not a square meal, only two or
3 foods
tire of even favorite foods and
experiment with new food
rarely eat a nee food the first
time they see it.

Feeding Problems of Preschooler

with Caregiver Approach
FEEDING PROBLEM
is any condition in which a child has
an inability /difficulty in eating or
drinking sufficient quantities to
maintain optimal nutritional status.

1. Bad Table Manners

Teaching your child table manners can
begin as soon as he starts eating solid
food.
CGA
Time it right.
Be patient- meal times are a messy affair as
preschooler explore new foods and work on mastering
self feeding
Plan your course of action- Different behavior call
different response
Model the behavior that you want child to imitate

2. Constipation
which the body produces a hard, dry stool

CGA
Make sure your child is getting adequate fluids
Eat fiber rich foods.

3. Food Allergy
affect his ability to get certain nutrients.
Have food allergy?
What happens if my child has an allergic reaction
Food intolerance and Food allergy
what should I do if I think might have food allergies?

CGA
Double check ingredients.
Strict avoidance of food.

4. Gagging
Gag reflex
lifelong automatic response
that helps prevent choking.

Gagging
-eat too much food in his mouth, if he doesn't like the taste
or texture of eat his eating

CGA
Encourage during meals
Cut the food into bite size pieces
Teach to pick up one piece of food at a time and to chew
thoroughly and swallow before taking another.

5. Food Refusal/ Food Jag

base on sensory issues (taste,
texture, temperature, smell,
appearance)

CGA
Serve at least one food you know your kid likes.
don't discuss eating habits and clear the table when the meal
is over - even if your child doesn't eat all her food.
Prepare special meals to appease child.
offer variety of a healthy food choices

Food Pressure: Forcing, Rewarding

Feed children according to division of
responsibility.
Caregiver- do the what, when and where of feed.
Child- does the how much and whether of eating

6. Eat only one or two

food.
CGA
The less you make of it the better.
Be patient and offer a variety of healthy foods without
pressuring your child to eat.

7. Foods that are nutritional zeros- high

calories, sugar, fat
CGA
Keep healthier foods within his
reach
Forbidding make worse- you
cant expect a child to accept
fruit when she really wants a
piece of chocolate.
Offer similar but healthier
substitutions.

8. Overweight
accustomed to eating fatty foods, sugar

CGA
Introduce vegetables juice and fresh fruit

9. Failure to thrive/Underweight
picky eating habits

CGA
Don't force your child to eat when she don't want to.
provide plenty of healthy choices in a positive relaxed
environment

10. PICKY EATERS

Grazer- eats small amount of food throughout the
day
CGA
structure your child's eating so that she has 3 regular meals a
day and 2 healthy snacks in between meals.
serve variety of foods to eat each meal
introduce new foods one at a time.
Minimize distractions
Meals with siblings

Nutritional Requirements
Energy
Energy requirements for pre-school
children increase as the child grows
older:
A four year old girl requires 1,545
kcal/day
A four year a boy needs 1,715
kcal/day.

Nutritional Requirements
Fats
Young children requires concentrated energy that
is provided by fat. As children get older they can have
less fat in their diets, but healthy unsaturated fats
remain important. These can be sourced from foods
like oily fish, avocados, seeds and nuts.

Nutritional Requirements
Fiber
Fiber foods are bulky and young children with small
appetites who are offered a diet high in fiber, may not
ingest adequate energy.
Dietary fiber should be encouraged but not
excessively so in small children. Whole meal bread,
whole meal breakfast cereals, pulse vegetables, fruit
and vegetables all should be encouraged, particularly
as the child gets older.

Nutritional Requirements
Protein
As an essential part of a childs diet, protein is important for cell
growth and survival among other things. Some form of meat, fish or
other protein source should be eaten once or twice a day. Many
nutritionists recommend 2 servings of fish per week, one of which
should be oily and any meat cooked should be tender to ensure
chewing is not a problem. Good alternatives to meat and fish are
eggs and pulses.

Nutritional Requirements
Iron
Iron-deficiency anemia
may be associated with
frequent infections, poor
weight gain and delay in
development. Red meat
is the best source of
easily absorbable. Ironrich foods, such as liver
and red meat, are not
usually popular with
young children.

Nutritional Requirements
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are an important source of energy.
Starchy foods such as pasta, bread and rice should be
plentiful in the diet. Frequent consumption of sugary
drinks, sweets and snacks should be discouraged as
these influence the child's appetite.

Nutritional Requirements
Milk and dairy foods
Children need calcium in their
diet for bone growth so you
should attempt to incorporate
some into your childs diet.
If your child isn't particularly
keen on drinking lots of milk
then you can incorporate dairy
in many other ways such as in
yoghurts, sauces and on cereals.

Nutritional Requirements
Fruit and vegetables
Children should aim for five
portions of fruits or vegetable
per day. However, this can be
difficult to achieve when you
are trying to feed a fussy
toddler, use fruit in puddings
and smoothies, vegetables raw
with a dip or made into soups
or sauces.

Nutritional Requirements
Fluids
Pre-school children have a higher
proportion of body water than adults.
They are also less heat tolerant and
more susceptible to dehydration,
especially when being physically
active and in hot climates. It is
important that children drink
regularly throughout the day to stay
properly hydrated.

Nutritional Requirements
KEY NUTRIENTS
Vitamin APromotes growth, healthy skin and cell
development and can be found in eggs, cheese and some
vegetables. This can be taken in the form of a supplement.

Vitamin C-Required for the immune system and growth

as well as helping the body to absorb iron. This vitamin can
be found in citrus fruits and various vegetables and can be
taken in the form of a supplement.

Calcium-This nutrient is necessary for the healthy

development of strong bones and teeth. Calcium is
commonly found in dairy products.

Zinc-Is needed to help the body's hormones and enzymes

to perform. Can be found in meat, fish, dairy, whole grains
and nuts.

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