Using Meal Time for Child Development

By providing activities that correspond to a childs stage of development, parents, teachers and caregivers invite children to learn new skills daily.
Activities provide a medium for acquiring new skills and practicing those skills.
Children ages 3-4 should be acquiring their mathematical thinking skills as well as categorizing. Some simple but powerful activities to introduce and incorporate these skills are present each day at meal time!
Mathematical Thinking - Theme = meal time. Include children in sorting and counting out forks, spoons, butter knives, plates, napkins, and glasses to set the table for all members of the family. Involve children in anything that can be sorted or counted during the preparation of the meal. This is teaching them 1-1 correspondence and categorizing, which is what they should be learning and practicing during this age. Foods can be sorted as well. Have a fresh supply of fruits on hand and serve as dessert several times per week. A large can of assorted nuts is another example. Dad likes only the cashews. Can you count out 8 for him please? Sara only eats peanuts. We need to count out 8 for her as well. Can you help?
If children are allowed to pour the drinks into the glasses, they are also working on eye-hand coordination--another age-appropriate child development skill. Children also build vocabulary during meal preparation time. Talk to them about what you are doing, how you are making something and what you are adding and for what reason. You will see how quickly they learn new words and associate them with the meals they help prepare and participate in.
This age group should also be acquiring and honing social skills. Meal time is an excellent time to teach and practice social development. If children are fussing over the same activity to be involved in during meal preparation, teach them how to compromise by saying If Kate counts the plates and glasses tonight, and you count the forks and spoons, then tomorrow night you can trade and take turns like that each time.
Teach the importance of a pleasant atmosphere for meal time. The entire process of meal preparation and consumption should be relaxed not rushed, especially the last meal of the day. Turn off the television and/or games/music and anything that interferes with this time. Make it a rule that the last meal of the day is going to be like this every time. It is a special time for families to reflect on the happenings of the day and share with each other. Research tells us families who eat meals together bond stronger. And, just imagine how many skills the children are learning!

Brenda Geier