Children Serve ThemselvesBARRIERS AND SOLUTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH CHILDREN SERVING THEMSELVES AND SELECTING THEIR OWN PORTIONSPage 10 of 14

Children Serve Themselves: BARRIERS AND SOLUTIONS CONTINUEDPage 10 of 14
Children will know when they’re hungry and when they’re not hungry. We don’t want to choose their foods. We have food prepared and enough portions for all the children at the table. But children get to decide whether they’re planning to put a scoop or two scoops on their plate. – Early Childhood Educator

BARRIER #3:

It is hard to let children select their own portions because they either serve too much or too little food. Or, they will only choose their favorite food.

measuring spoons

To guide children to take appropriate portion sizes, use measuring cups which correspond to the recommended portion size for their age. For example, if the meal pattern recommends 1/4 cup of fruit, have children use 1/4 measuring cup to scoop. Using spoons which are too big may prompt children to serve themselves more than what is necessary. Alternatively, if the serving spoons are too small, they may not serve themselves enough food. Remember that the tools are only to guide serving sizes. However, children will select “how much,” or the portion size, they want to take.

Dishware: Why they are important:
Child-sized plates, bowls and cups Allow children to serve appropriate serving sizes
Plates with rims Make food portions look larger
Clear, see-through dishware Provide visual cues as children serve
Different color serving spoons and eating spoons Help children differentiate between serving spoons and eating spoons
Unbreakable materials Ensure child safety

 

Research Spotlight

The size of the plate can lead to a child serving too much food. Children tend to serve appropriate portions when they use small plates.

Here are some suggestions to guide children while they are selecting their portion size:

1. If the child is over-serving, you can provide verbal guidance while cueing children to their internal signals of hunger. It is important for caregivers to provide verbal guidance when children are serving themselves.

For example:

  • “Take one scoop now and you may have another if you are hungry later.”
  • “Your friends still need to serve themselves. Then, after everybody has some, you can get more if you are still hungry.”
Research Spotlight

Research shows that self-serving without verbal cues from caregivers can lead to children overeating.

'Less is more' is my motto and they can always have seconds if they are still hungry. I always tell my kiddos to take one or two scoops to start out with. – Early Childhood Educator
boys at lunch table

2. If the child is not taking enough food, provide verbal guidance while cueing the child to their internal signals of hunger. For example, “Are you hungry?”

Remember that children will know when they are hungry or not, and they will eat if they are hungry. It is good to encourage, but not to force, foods to children especially because there are many factors that can contribute to children not eating.

For example,

  • The child may not be hungry.
  • The child has eaten a large breakfast.
  • The child may be feeling sick that day.
  • The child may not be allowed to eat the food that was served. Be aware that there are cultural or religious practices that prohibit certain foods. It is possible that a child is refusing to eat a certain food because they do not eat it at home. It is best to communicate with the child’s primary caregiver or parent to know what foods the child may or may not eat.

Below are some suggestions to encourage children to try new foods:

  1. Repeatedly offer the new foods.
    • Continue to offer new foods to children, even if they don’t accept it right away. Sometimes, it may take several exposures before a child will accept a new food so be patient and do not give up. However, it is also important not to force children if they still do not like the food after several tries.
  2. Offer a variety of healthy food options.
    • When children are exposed to different kinds of food, they will be more likely to try at least one of the unfamiliar options.
    • Try to offer foods from different cultures. When children are exposed to diverse options of food, they are more likely to be open to different food tastes, colors, and textures.
  3. Pair an unfamiliar food with a familiar one.
    • Children will have a higher tendency to eat an unfamiliar food if it is served together with a food that they like. For example, when introducing a new vegetable or fruit, include it with a food that the child likes.

Reflection Time

1. List some of your challenges to allowing children to serve themselves in your classroom.

2. Think about possible ways to overcome these challenges. You may want to refer back to the previous section for ideas about identifying solutions to overcoming barriers.

Congratulations! You have completed Objective 4: Identify solutions for overcoming self-service challenges in your classroom.You can now move on with the lesson by clicking the "Save and Continue" button below.
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