Well-Being!
Nurturing Healthy Development and Well-Being
Well-Being
It is important to know that our eating habits, the amount of sleep we get during the night and the amount of physical activity that we get during the early years of our childhood affect our health as adults in the future.
It is never too late to change your lifestyle! Some easy ways to create a brighter future for yourself, and for your children are as follows;
- Join a gym, do at-home workouts or include outdoor games or walks in your daily routine.
- Eat healthy! Use the Canada Food Guide while planning out your meals for the week to ensure that you and your family are getting all of the food groups in their proper amounts every day as needed.
- Avoid or set a limit on the amount of time that you and your family spend using electronics such as televisions and gaming consoles.
1.) Physical Activity!
2.) Proper Nutrition!
3.) Get Unpluged!
The Importance of Outdoor Play
- Outdoor play brings the children closer to nature.
- It encourages them to get outside for more fresh air.
- Being outdoor encourages physical activity and including a child's friends can promote cooperation as a group while participating in these activities.
The Importance of Proper Nutrition
- Proper nutrition is key to a child's development in all areas of the body and mind.
- It helps them become more active physically and it helps them become more active in their academics when they begin going to school to learn.
- A balanced diet helps to prevent childhood obesity and malnutrition.
- A proper diet helps to regulate a child's metabolism.
Self Care
- Self care is important in day care. You need to be healthy and emotionally stable to be in a day care as it will effect the children.
- The environment for the children is really important for their well being. The environment needs to be a happy place to be so they can feel safe so they can develop and grow. We want them to be able to tackle tasks and being happy and feeling safe will help them do that.
Mental Health and Wellness
Mental health is important for the ECE and the children.
- The ECE should be in a good mental situation to look after children. It can effect the children in a negative way if not.
- The children's mental health is also extremely important.
- Its been reported that 15 to 20% of children have mental health issues and its important that we are aware of them so we can help.
- Early years educators can also support families who suffer from mental issues so they the child can have the best at home care too.
Goals and Expectations
Some desired goals may include
- healthy physical activity in children
- aware and able to make healthy choice (food, sleep, self care)
- sense of competence and autonomy. Developing self care and self help skills
- strong sense of self and ability to value their own unique identity
- ability to value, and respect the unique identity and perspectives of others
- Ability to regulate her own emotions
Healthy Physically active Children
Strong sense of self
Developing self help and self care skills
Role of the ECE/Programme
- create safe and stimulating outdoor space
- provide opportunities for self help and self care
- provide daily opportunities for children to explore the world around them
- create a space where children can "blow off steam" when emotions become intense
Fostering confidence and positive self esteem
Safe and stimulating outdoor play
Regulating and Perceiving Emotions
Connections between Cognition and Physical and Emotional Well-being
Programs that involve outdoor play in nature or playgrounds is a great place for children to thrive.
These programs are the most effective when there are manageable challenges present.
Active outdoor play strengthens children’s cognitive functions. These cognitive functions are strengthened in areas such as perception, attention, creative problem solving, and complex thinking.
With physical exploration and play children learn self-regulation, independence and learn perseverance.
Self Regulation
Self-regulation is a significant component of a child’s development.
The ability of self-regulation is the centre of many aspects of a child’s well-being. Educational, psychological, behavioural and physical.
Self-Regulation is how a child is able to deal with stressors effectively and how they recover from such stressors.
Educators play a large role in a child’s development of self-regulation, they do this by helping the child self-regulate and make an environment for that child that has little to no stressors.
Educators are most successful helping a child self-regulate when they are familiar with each individual child’s cues to stressors and are responsive to the children.
Citations
Nutrition - La Crosse Wellness Center. (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2016, from http://laxwc.com/?feature=spanish-sauna
Oak House Design Co. : 21 Days: No Television. (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2016, from http://www.oakhousedesignco.com/2014/03/21-days-no-television.html
Canada Food Guide : Personal Training, Best fitness club. (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2016, from http://www.fitnesspluscanada.com/canada-food-guide.html
Marion, M. (1981). Guidance of Young Children. St. Louis: Mosby. Service Ontario. (2014). How Does Learning Happen?: Ontario's Pedagogy for the Early Years.
Self care diagram. Digital image. Web.
Wellness wheel. Digital image. Web.
Mental health. Digital image. Web.
Human heart. Digital image. Web.
Life, Psychology, And A Lot More. (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2016, from http://lifepsychologyandalotmore.blogspot.ca/2011/12/relationship-quality-component-of.html
The Foundational "R" | Canadian Education Association (CEA). (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2016, from http://www.cea-ace.ca/education-canada/article/foundational-“r”
Zones of Regulation. (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2016, from http://mcbehavior.weebly.com/zones-of-regulation.html
Group Members
- Kayla Witzing
- Olivia Taylor
- Janell Palmer
- Charlene Hall