Info
Ratings
Presenters
Christine Phillis
Christine Phillis is a Nurse Educator for Karitane and has worked as a Child and Family Health Nurse in the Sydney Local Health District for over 20 years, attaining the position of Clinical Nurse Specialist and International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant. Christine is an experienced research nurse, working within the ‘Healthy Beginnings’ project, and has started... Read MoreDr Erin Kerr
Dr Erin Kerr is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and researcher who is passionate about promoting healthy eating environments and positive feeding practices in early childhood education settings. Her PhD research explored the nutrition and physical activity environments in family day care services.Dr Ruth Crowe
Dr Ruth Crowe is passionate about public health nutrition and teaching children about food. Ruth has supported early childhood education and care services through the NSW Government’s ‘Healthy Children Initiative’ and coordinating a national nutrition service. Ruth’s PhD research focused on healthy eating and physical activity in outside school hours care environments.Description
Supporting healthy eating behaviours in early childhood is about more than just offering nutritious meals—it’s about the conversations, interactions and ways we support children’s wellbeing while providing rich, meaningful learning experiences, such as exploring where food comes from. This course invites educators to reflect on how everyday practices can build positive, respectful relationships with food.
Educators will explore what contributes to selective eating and how to respond to children who avoid certain foods. You’ll consider how to tune into children’s hunger and satiety cues and respond in ways that promote autonomy and respect. The course offers practical ideas for designing intentional, engaging food-related learning experiences, while also highlighting the importance of spontaneous conversations. You’ll discover how to involve children meaningfully in preparing, exploring and learning about food through play-based approaches. There is a strong focus on creating positive educator–child interactions during mealtimes and food-related learning, helping to nurture a sense of security, agency and curiosity.
In this course, you will:
- explore ways of teaching children about food, nutrition and wellbeing
- discover how to engage children in conversations about food
- incorporate food-based experiences through play in the educational program.
Recommended for:This course is suitable for educators at all levels to understand how they can support healthy eating behaviours for children in early childhood education and care.
Duration: 1 hour
