Preschoolers’ Nutrition and Fitness

IEL Resources

• Tip Sheet: Building Endurance: Let’s Get Physical!
• Tip Sheet: Eating Right = Healthy Children
• Tip Sheet: Games for All Young Children
• Tip Sheet: Healthy Children Eat Right
• Tip Sheet: Is My Child OK?
• Tip Sheet: Physical Fitness for Preschool-Age Children
• Tip Sheet: Physical Fitness for Toddlers
• Tip Sheet: Say Yes to Healthy Snacks!
• Q&A: Development in Young Children

Web Resources

• ChooseMyPlate.gov
  This website provides games, activities, songs, and videos that encourage a healthy lifestyle for young children.
• Facing Food Challenges One Plate at a Time
  This parent tip sheet from the Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse provides easy ways to add variety and more substance to family meals.
• Fitness and Your 4- to 5-Year-Old
  This KidsHealth article discusses recommendations related to preschoolers from the National Association of Sports and Physical Education, including encouraging children to participate in physical activities so that they can lead fit and healthy lifestyles now and as they grow.
• Health and Nutrition Information for Preschoolers
  This section of the ChooseMyPlate website is for parents and caregivers of children 2 through 5 years of age who want to help preschoolers eat well, be active, and be healthy.
• Recipes for Kids
  Letting children help with food and meal preparation is a great way to encourage them to try new foods and think about nutrition. The KidsHealth website includes recipes for children with special health concerns, such as diabetes.
• Feeling Hungry? Satisfying Books about Food for Young Children
  The Cooperative Children’s Book Center reviews a selection of books for young children on food topics, such as eating vegetables and foods for special occasions.
• Understanding and Guiding How Your Child Eats
  This parent guide from the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development suggests ways that parents can make mealtime with children a good experience.
• Motor Development
  This parent guide from the University of Pittsburgh includes a list of motor development milestones.
• How Should I Deal with a Picky Eater?
  This Q&A on the KidsHealth website explains what parents can do when their child is a selective eater.
• Your Child’s Weight
  This article on KidsHealth covers topics such as growth and puberty, body mass index, under and overweight, and the role genes play.