Food Education: Thinking About Too Much Sugar
Preschool
September 26, 2017
A parent asked us to offer a lesson about why having too much sugar is not good for us, so we planned a class about sugar.
Many foods containing sugar, such as cake, chocolate and juice, are sweet and delicious. Even adults who enjoy sweets can find them hard to resist. Simply telling children not to have too much is unlikely to be enough for them to understand.
Rather than only saying, “Do not eat too many sweets,” we wanted to explain why and help the children understand the reasons.
We first acknowledged their feelings: “Sweet things taste good, don’t they?” Then we explored what happens when we have too much, using a chart that represented the sugar in familiar foods as sugar cubes. Although the children did not seem to grasp the amounts themselves yet, they could compare the examples on the chart, such as its cake having more sugar than its chocolate.
The lesson explained concerns in concrete terms, including a greater risk of cavities, feeling less energetic and not getting enough of the nutrients needed for growth.
The children may not change their actions immediately. Still, we hope that keeping this knowledge in mind will eventually help them think about their health and make their own choices, rather than acting only because someone tells them to.
Many foods containing sugar, such as cake, chocolate and juice, are sweet and delicious. Even adults who enjoy sweets can find them hard to resist. Simply telling children not to have too much is unlikely to be enough for them to understand.
Rather than only saying, “Do not eat too many sweets,” we wanted to explain why and help the children understand the reasons.
We first acknowledged their feelings: “Sweet things taste good, don’t they?” Then we explored what happens when we have too much, using a chart that represented the sugar in familiar foods as sugar cubes. Although the children did not seem to grasp the amounts themselves yet, they could compare the examples on the chart, such as its cake having more sugar than its chocolate.
The lesson explained concerns in concrete terms, including a greater risk of cavities, feeling less energetic and not getting enough of the nutrients needed for growth.
The children may not change their actions immediately. Still, we hope that keeping this knowledge in mind will eventually help them think about their health and make their own choices, rather than acting only because someone tells them to.
Author Profile
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Reiko - Services and Community Coordinator Japan
Reiko joined CGK’s founding team in 2016, bringing seven years of experience in licensed nursery schools in Japan and six years across two international preschools. She has also volunteered at a daycare in Canada and has held preschool leadership roles at CGK, including Principal and Vice Principal.
A qualified nursery teacher and holder of a Class 2 kindergarten teaching license in Japan, Reiko values each child’s interests and strengths. Drawing on her experience in multicultural early childhood settings, she supports an environment where children can explore new interests through hands-on experiences and express themselves in their own way.