Early associations with food are remembered in later years, for example, the enjoyment of corn on the cob at a summertime picnic or sharing birthday cake with neighborhood friends. Adults can learn a lot about eating enjoyment from young children by watching them discover and savour their world of new foods. Children don't label foods as good or bad - a practice which can take away from the enjoyment of eating for many adults. Eating occasions can become filled with tension, not enjoyment, when children are pressured to eat or when food is used to control or manage their behaviour. By promoting positive attitudes, rather than fostering negative associations with food and eating, parents and caregivers can enhance the child's enjoyment of food and promote a lifetime of healthy eating.
Children enjoy being active.
Preschoolers enjoy and need physical activity every day. They rely on parents and caregivers to provide opportunities for physical activities which are fun and easy to participate in, such as bicycling, walking, or wheeling, dancing, games of ball or tag in the summer and sledding or building a snowman in the winter. Playing actively with their friends and family should be encouraged. Children enjoy feeling good about themselves. Like adults, children come in different shapes and sizes.