PowerPoint over health and the school-age child

1. Health and The School-
Age Child
By Alex Perez

2. Why introduce health to kids?
• Being healthy allows for proper physical and mental growth
• Introducing healthy choices early allows them to make proper food choices
later on
• Allows them to learn and teach other kids
• Gives them self-awareness
• Teaches accountability

3. The School-age Child
• More physical and developmental changes happen at this stage
• Academic skills and performance are seen
• There is cultural, societal, and peer influence on the child
• Mental and motor skills rapidly increase
• Peer/friend groups began to develop
• More personality evident in a child
• (Edelman, Mandel., & Kudzma, 2013) Figure1. School-age Kids (Nutrition and Well-
being, 2000)

4. Childhood Obesity
• Child obesity is a huge area of concern in the U.S.
• 1 in 3 children considered obese or overweight (Krech, 2005)
• Earlier diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular began to develop
• Parents often use unhealthy food as a reward
• Obese child often faces humiliation and discrimination
• Leads to lack of self-confidence and poor body image

5. Nutrition
• Eat right!
• Never too early to teach children how to eat healthy
• Introducing food groups to the kids is benefical
• (Weir, K., & Sharma, A, 2016)
• Teach them how read food labels
• Introduce them to vegetables and fruits early on
Figure2. Kids Eating Healthy
(Nutrition and Children,
2000)

6. Nutrition Cont’d
• Keep fresh fruit bowls in the kitchen
• Add tasteful fruits and vegetables to the kids lunch
• Eat a healthy meal, as kids are influenced easily by their parents and what
they see
• Put equal portions of each food group on their plate
• Make eating healthy fun!
• Use colorful plates
• Use cartoon/animal plates

7. Nutrition Recommended Amounts
• Recommended amounts
• Milk Group
• 3 cups
• Meat Group
• 5 oz. of lean meat
• Vegetable Groups
• 2-2 ½ cups
• Fruit Groups
• 1 ½ cups
• Grain Group
• 4-6 oz (Edelman et al., 2013)
Figure3.Healthy Food (State of
Fitness, 2005)

8. My child won’t eat healthy
• Provide structure
• Have family dinners with no distractions (TV on)
• Encourage variety
• Lead by example
• Be a role model
• Allow some treats
• Limit eating out

9. Nutrition Video for Kids

10. Physical Activity
• Stay Active!
• Important for all age groups
• Helps control kids weight whole strengthen their muscles and bones
• (French, L. Howell, G. & Britten, P., 2016)
• Good for mental health
• Enhances balance and coordination
• Improves self-esteem
• Teaches kids social skills (Edelman et al., 2013)
Figure5. Cheerful Father and Son
Exercising (Dreamtimes, 2009)

11. Physical Activity Cont’d
• Encourage your kid to be active at least 60 minutes a day for 3-4 times a
week (Edelman et al., 2013)
• By a leader by example
• Participate in games/activities with them
• Show them it can be fun
• Schedule family time for physical activity
• Enroll kids in after-school sports or programs

12. Physical Activity Video for Kids

13. Nutrition and Physical Activity
• It is important to have balance
• Sleep matters as well
• High demand of physical activity and nutrition requires solid sleep
• Allow proper adaption period to both as children are still growing and
learning at this stage (Edelman et al., 2013)
• Teach that both go hand in hand
• Teach what foods and drinks are good after physical activity

14. Dental Health
• Tooth decay is no fun!
• Prevent tooth decay with proper dental hygiene
• Teach kids bout cavities and the negatives about them
• Practice proper dental hygiene
• Use fluoride toothpaste
• Schedule regular dental appointments
• Brush and floss twice a day minimum
• Edelman et al., 2013)
Figure6.Girl Brushing Her Teeth
(1st Family Dental, 2007)

15. Sleep Hygiene
• Sleep is important for recovering from physical activity and nutrition helps
recover during sleep (Altenburg, T. M., Chinapaw, M. M., van der Knaap, E. W., Brug, J., Manios, Y., &
Singh, A. S., 2013).
• School-age kids need 10-12 hours of sleep daily
• Sleep helps body and mind recover
• Children grow and develop most during sleep
• Good sleep improves cognitive ability in children
• Edelman et al., 2013
Figure7.Boy Sleeping (Today’s
Parents, 2010)

16. Sleep Hygiene Cont’d
• No screens where children sleep
• Helps establish that bed is for sleeping
• Low noise and low light
• Encourage sleep time activities
• Brushing teeth
• Stories
• Establish daily sleep routine

17. Emotion
• Self-esteem is important during this stage
• Teach children about body image and how they should be treated
• Show children we are in control of our own body
• Beware of outside influences on ideology and norms
• Children are very influential at this age (Edelman et al., 2013)
• Make sure behavior at school is normal
• No bullying or acting out
• Fighting

18. Emotion Cont’d
• Educate kids on what is real and what is fake in the media
• Teach them how a normal person should look and act
• Teach them that image changes and about fads
• The messages the media sends
• Help build good self-esteem!

19. Conclusion
• Physical and mental health are important for the proper development of kids
• Both go hand in hand
• Help with overall development of child
• Decrease chances of future disease or health complications
• Nutrition
• Can lead to better academic performance
• Better sense of wellness
• Edelman et al., 2013

20. Conclusion
• Sleep is a developmental factor for kids
• Time where children go most
• Recovery period as well
• Lesson
• Kids need to be taught about health overall for a better life
• It is never too early to teach them about health
• Be a role model for your kids!

21. References
• Altenburg, T. M., Chinapaw, M. M., van der Knaap, E. W., Brug, J., Manios, Y., & Singh, A. S. (2013). Longer Sleep –
Slimmer Kids: The ENERGY-Project. Plos ONE, 8(3), 1-6.
• Edelman, C., Mandle, C. L., & Kudzma, E. C. (2013). Health Promotion Throughout the Lifespan. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
• Myobrace. (2013 August 8). Balanced Diet [Video File] Retrieved fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YimuIdEZSNY
• French, L., Howell, G., Haven, J., & Britten, P. (2006). Designing MyPyramid for Kids Materials to Help Children
Eat Right, Exercise, Have Fun. Journal Of Nutrition Education & Behavior, 38S158-S159.
• KidsEduc-Kids Educational Games. (2014, July 7). Exercises For Different Parts of the Body [Video File] Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5VMThf0sM4
• Kretsch, M. (2005). Helping School Kids Reach Nutritional Excellence. Agricultural Research, 53(10), 2.
• Weir, K., & Sharma, A. (2016). Child nutrition professionals’ feedback on implementing the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
of 2010. Journal Of Foodservice Business Research, 19(2), 213-221.