Caring for children from four to six

13.2

Health and WellnessSteady and varied supply of nutritious food is the best fuel for children’s physical and

intellectual development. The amount off food children need varies depending on their weight and level of physical activity. Four to Six year olds do better when they eat five or six small, nutritious meals and snacks a day

• Teaching children about nutrition – don’t watch T.V. go outside and don’t let commercials persuade (convince) you to choose high fat snacks and high sugar cereals and drinks

– At home: teach them how food is obtained and let them help prepare meals. They will feel proud and develop fine motor skills and get to spend time with you

– At school: again use as learning tool: texture, quantity, appearance or nutrition as well as independence choosing meal (make sure know which healthy ones they should choose)

• Nutritional concerns– Poor nutrition: not due to lack of money but poor knowledge on what are good

foods to eat and bad examples– Undermines (weakens) health of children – more illness and physical and

intellectual growth problems– Weight problems: consult doctor, MyPyramid.gov

• If they eat more calories than the body uses, the extra is stored as fat and overtime this can lead to being overweight or obese (numbers are rising)

• More chance of life-threatening diseases such as diabetes and heart disease

• Checkups and immunizations– Hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, measles,

mumps and rubella (German measles). Also chicken pox

Expert adivce

• “parental expectations may be the greatest obstacle to a child’s development and a prime cause of difficulties. Children are doing their absolute best to learn, to imitate our modeling, and to please us. WE can trust them and guide them based on their readiness.”

– Naomi Aldort, parenting counselor and advocate

Parenting skills• Encourage physical activity

– Teaching young children to enjoy regular physical activity can bring lifelong health benefits. Here are some ways to help get children up and moving:

• Involve children in daily activities. Children gain exercise and a sense of accomplishment when they help out at home

• Enjoy fun activities together. Activities such as biking, swimming and walking can involve the whole family

• Focus on age appropriate activities. Choose activities that rare developmentally appropriate for the child.

• Model active behavior in everyday activities. Be a role model Ride a bicycle or walk to get places. Limit such sedentary activities as television and computer games

• Find a sport that the child enjoys. If a child enjoys a sport, support that interest by playing the sport with the child or finding a team for the child to join.

• Find friends to join the fun. Bring along friends on a trip to the park.

Learning through play• Taking on roles

– Children of all ages frequently take on roles of other people when they play. Using dress up clothes and other props, children love to pretend to be other people. Very young children choose roles in play that are close to their own experience. Children will frequently pretend to be a a parent or teacher. However, as children learn more about the world, other characters become a part of their play. Some of these characters include firefighters, police officers, nurses or doctors. Children may begin to pretend by suggesting a plan, such as “Let’s drive to the store and get something to eat”. Playing different roles is a way for children to express their creativity and to explore a world outside of their own.

Self-care skillsWith increased physical strength and motor skills

they increasingly can care for themselves: was and dress, brush teeth, care for clothes. Encourage as this increases independence

• Clothing– Dressing and choosing clothes

• May need help with some fasteners or shoelaces• May need help with which clothes match (coordinate ahead

for them)• Comfort, durability and economy along with likes and dislikes

– Group identification (a feeling of belonging with others): let them shop for clothes they like but allow for parent input as well

– Caring for clothes• Dirty clothes go in hamper• Sort clothes to wash• Fold or hang and put away

Self-care skills continued

• Washing and bathing– Less interested in– Praise for taking a bath or shower– Set routine

• Caring for teeth– Brushing and flossing is essential– Prevent tooth decay especially with permanent teeth

coming in– Dentist: fluoride (strengthen enamel (hard outer

coating of teeth) of teeth)

Sleeping and toileting• Sleeping

– No longer nap– 10-12 hours at night so set bedtime accordingly– Well rested child will be healthier and happier than a tired and irritable one– Cooperative but still some delay tactics

• Look at book or listen to music or some need conversation or companionship or a stuffed toy or blanket

• Read a book to them

• Toileting– Few accidents either at night or during the day– Accidents when concentrate on an activity and forget to go or is in a new place

and feels uncomfortable asking where the bathroom is or in response to stress or changes happening around him.

– Training pants at night if needed– Sometimes indication of illness or infection – talk to doctor– To minimize accidents:

• Make sure the child uses the bathroom before leaving home• When arriving at a public place, point out where the bathroom is and remind the child to

ask to use it• Keep an extra outfit available in the event of an accident and handle the situation

quietly, without calling unnecessary attention to it– When begin school often constipation issue or wetting pants

Parenting skills• What is the best way to handle bedwetting?

– It is not unusual for children who have learned to use the toilet to occasionally wet the bed at night. Either the child’s bladder is not large enough to hold urine during the night, or the child is not awakened by the feeling of a full bladder. Sometimes the cause is an infection in the urinary tract. Here are some tips for dealing with bedwetting.

• Treat bedwetting accidents casually. Shaming or scolding a child does not help

• Make sure the child understands that bedwetting is not his or her fault and that it will eventually stop

• Reduce the amount of fluid the child drinks before bed• A small percentage of children continue to wet the bed as

they get older, but almost all stop by the time they are teens. Children need continued support and reassurance that they will outgrow the problem

Safe child Healthy child

• Keep children safe from strangers– Strangers are not always people who will harm children.

Nonetheless, children should be taught to avoid contact with people they do not know unless the stranger is accompanied by an adult whom they do know. Help the child recite the names of the adults they know and can trust. Children need to understand that it is not their job to help strangers. If a stranger asks for help, children should know to go tell an adult they can trust. Children should also be taught that if a stranger says, “your mommy sent me to pick you up”, they should not go with the person. They should tell a trusted adult right away.

– Be prepared. Some children, because of age or disability, cannot be taught to follow the guidelines above. Research ways to keep these children safe from strangers that might want to harm them. Create a detailed list of your findings

Outdoor safety• Bicycles

– Safety helmet should be worn– Teach rules of road

• Traffic– Look both ways before cross street and never play near parked cars

• Playgrounds– Swings (most common cause of injury)

• Sit don’t stand or kneel• One at a time• Stay a safe distance away from those swinging• Do not jump off

– Slides• Hold onto handrails when climbing ladders to the sop• Slide down feet first and one at a time• Remember they get hot in the sun

– Climbing equipment (greatest risk)• Equipment is properly anchored to the ground• Wood is properly treated and is not splintered• Cushioning under equipment (grass, mulch or shredded tires)• Not too many on at a time• Adult supervision

Questions in 13.2• Four, five, and six year olds are ore independent and need less physical care than

younger children do. What are children this age able to do for themselves?• Children ages four to six like to help around the kitchen. What are some tasks

parents can ask them to perform?• Some parents struggle to find time to play with their children and encourage physical

activity. What would you recommend parents do to encourage physical activity in their child?

• Doing physical activities as a family instills good lifetime habits in children. What physical activities can families do together?

• What happens when a child eats more calories than his body used through physical exercise?

• Suppose you are baby sitting three year old, Sam and his six year old sister, Olivia. Olivia is trying to get Sam to play school with her, but Sam just takes the pencil and scribbles on the paper. Olivia is getting upset. What an you do?

• Regular tooth brushing helps children prevent tooth decay. Why is tooth decay of greater concern tat this age than for younger children?

• Imagine you are the parent of a six year old child who has episodes of wetting the bed. How would you respond if someone invited your child to sleep over?

• Why is group identification important for children in this age group?• How many hours of sleep do four year olds need each day?

After you read

• 1. List the factors that influence the amount of food a child needs.

• 2. Describe two things parents and caregivers can do to encourage children who do not like to bathe

• 3. Explain three reasons why toileting accidents might occur.

• 4. Recall the most common cause of injury from moving equipment on a playground.

After you read continued….

• 5. (ELA) Review the My Pyramid Web site to determine which foods are nutritious. Talk to a child who is between the ages of 4 and 6 about foods. Does the child know which foods are nutritious and which are not? What nutritious foods does he or she like to eat? Summarize your interview in a report.

• 6. (science) Use your knowledge of the personal hygiene needs of four to six year olds to develop a checklist of hygiene routines. Put the checklist on a poster and illustrate. If possible, give the poster to a four to six year old to use.