At The Priory, after evaluating all the learning potential in our usual sit down snack routine we decided to make a change.
We no longer have a snack routine!
All the rooms have introduced a fruit bowl, which has varied whole fresh fruits. The children decide for themselves when they would like to have a piece of fruit and are encouraged to sit down to eat it in a designated eating area.
All the children have access to fresh water throughout the day and milk jugs are added to the snack area in each room between 10 and 11am.
Children’s play is no longer interrupted for the whole group to sit down together, which was difficult for a child who decided they didn’t want to have a snack. We have also seen the children’s confidence grow, as they are gaining more independence and they are encouraged and supported to understand the signs for hunger and thirst and begin to make decisions about when to stop for a snack. They take responsibility for the snack area such as peeling fruit, pouring their own drinks and keeping it tidy.
Babies and toddlers will also select the fruit they would like to have and are then offered a quarter of that fruit so it’s easier for them to handle and eat. They too sit in the snack area and are encouraged to put any waste into the bin provided. Babies and toddlers are scaffolded through the drink pouring stage using the adult hand over child’s hand method to pour their own drinks. Over time the adult will remove the scaffold and our youngest children will then be independently pouring their own drinks.
If you would like to find out more, please come and visit us!
Claire Berridge, Manager