Marvellous Mealtimes at Lunch and Dinner
We continue to develop our Marvellous Mealtimes approach across both playrooms. Children are able to choose their lunch/ Dinner from our Button Board voting station & are becoming increasingly confident in making choices about where they would like to sit, self-service & washing up skills! We've been busy with our Larder Experiences, cooking up delicious foods! If you would like to try any of our recipes, please speak to a member of the team!
Mealtimes provide multiple opportunities for all areas of development, for example, learning to use & manipulate cutlery supports fine motor skills; as children grow, they begin to use their fingers in a pincer grip, gaining better control through pencil/scissor control etc. Gross movements are also supported through mealtimes; children can practise and develop these through self-service. It is a great idea to let children serve themselves, tasks such as pouring from water jugs & using large serving spoons will support children in gaining independence and control over their larger movements.
Mealtimes also offer the chance to develop social skills & children should be encouraged to build on these whilst eating. Offering food and drink gives plenty of opportunity for children to use their manners, take part in conversations and express their thoughts and feelings. Sharing food, saying please/thankyou & learning good table manners help children to become familiar with social norms which will support them in making solid relationships through life. Feel free to send us pictures of you family mealtimes at home so your wee ones can share their experiences with their friends!
Marvellous Mealtimes At Home
We have recently further developed our Marvellous Mealtimes initiative by launching our Marvellous Mealtimes At Home programme, where we invite a small group of children & families into the nursery each week to take part in cooking experiences with their child/children. This allows families to spend quality time with their little ones whilst learning how to cook nutritious, budget friendly meals, increases confidence & further develops cooking skills! We work closely with our community dietitian, who has shared lots of healthy eating recipes and advice with the team. We also work in partnership with our local community to source ingredients and cooking equipment to support the family cooking group. If you feel this is an activity you would be interested in joining please speak to a member of staff to register interest. This is a popular activity and spaces fill up quick. We can’t wait to cook some delicious meals with you and your family soon!
Larder Experiences
We value the amazing benefits of supporting our learners to participate in cooking experiences. As a team we ensure that there are regular opportunities to explore a wide variety of foods and meals. Our children are empowered to make choices about what they eat, when they eat and how we prepare it. We offer alternative options at meatimes to ensure all our children can make chioces and express their unique likes and dislikes about the foods they eat at nursery.
