When parents send their children off to school, many breathe a sigh of relief. They think gone are the daily hassles over meal times, what to eat for snacks, introducing new foods, and encouraging children to eat healthy food choices.
Children beginning their school years still have many nutritional needs to meet.
They may be less fussy at meals and they hopefully are using passable social skills that will get them through a meal time. But children entering school face new choices about eating. Decisions about what to eat from the school lunch menu, influences from friends at school, and opportunities to select their after-school snacks will affect nutritional habits that may last a lifetime. Nutrients for the Growing Years School-aged children are still growing. Growth requirements combined with physical activity play a role in determining a child's nutritional needs.