How to promote a healthy environment for children.

• Be healthy
• Stay safe
• Enjoy and achieve
• Make a positive contribution
• Achieve economic well being

This means that all organizations involved with providing children’s services will find new ways of working together, for example, by sharing information and working co-operatively to protect children and young people from harm and help them achieve what they want in life.  Local authorities have a co-ordinating role under the children’s trusts to ensure that this happens.

 A ‘common core’  of knowledge and skills was established for everyone involved in work with children and young people, even if this is only part of what their work will include.  Training will now include:

• Effective communication and engagement
• Child and young person development
• Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child
• Supporting transitions
• Multi-agency working
• Sharing information

“This Act was introduced following high profile enquiries into child protection e.g. Victoria Climbie) and the introduction of the Government’s Green Paper ‘Every Child Matters’.  As the Act affects the way you should work with other professionals to benefit 5 outcomes and 4 key themes that must be considered when working with young children”

Bruce, T. & Meggit, C. 2007 CACHE Level 3 Childcare and Education, London, Hodder Arnold.  Page 268.

These goals are:

The Act requires each setting to:

• Promote multi- agency approach so that children can achieve their full potential
• Ensure that children have their say so that they feel valued
• Safeguard children
• Have regular inspections i.e. OFSTED
• Work closely with parents
• Improve health

If each setting obeys to all these points listed above it will not only have a good impact on the child, but also on the family, yourself and others around you as a practitioner.  The Every Child Matters programme and all the services are important, because they ensure that all children are protected& their welfare and well-being is promoted.

These outcomes are to ensure children’s well-being and show clearly that educational achievement is the best way to improve a child’s well-being in all ways. Enjoying& achieving links to emotional well- being which is linked to being healthy. This legislation is very effective and has a major impact on children’s health now and in later life positively.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)

The UK signed the convention on 19 April 1990; formally approved it on 16 December 1991 and it came into force in the UK on 15 January 1992. All UN member states except for the United States and Somalia have approved the convention.

In 1989 world leaders decided that young children are more vulnerable and need extra protection which adults don’t need and that they should have a special convention for them.

The convention includes rights such as:

• Right to survival
• To develop to the fullest
• Protection from harmful influences, abuse& exploitation
• Participate fully in family, cultural& social life

The 4 core principles of the Convention are:

1. Non- discrimination regardless of race, sex, religion or any other reasons.( Article 2)
2. Devotion to the best interest of the child i.e. prevent children from being separated from their families unless separation is necessary for the child’s best interest
3. The right to life, survival and development
4. Respect views of child (Freedom of thought, conscience and religion-  Article 14, Right of freedom of opinion and expression- Article 13)

E3/E4- Provide information about a range of factors which may affect children’s health and well-being at differing times in their lives./ Include evidence of the effects of these factors on children’s health.

There are many factors which can affect children’s health and well-being throughout their lives. The parents must be a good role model for the child, as they will look at them and may copy their actions.

During the age of 0 – 3 years, if the parents use drugs or excessive alcohol, the child may become physically and emotionally neglected. This can result into low self-esteem, which can cause the child to become shy and not take part in activities. If alcohol is consumed throughout pregnancy, there may be complications at birth. “Heavy drinking can also damage your baby's nervous system. This can result in your baby having learning difficulties and problems with movement and coordination throughout his life.”

http://www.babycentre.co.uk  

These are called Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. “It's thought that more than 6,000 babies are born each year with FASD in the UK.” http://www.babycentre.co.uk  

However babies who are born with full blown Foetal Alcohol Syndrome may be born with face defects and may be smaller and continue to be small throughout their lives.

Also diet is very important throughout pregnancy. The mother should eat plenty of fruit, vegetables, protein and carbohydrates. The mother must “Wash fruit, vegetables and salads to remove all traces of soil, which may contain toxoplasma, a parasite that can cause toxoplasmosis”.

“Toxoplasmosis can harm your unborn baby.” .  

It can harm the unborn baby by damaging the development of their eyes and brain. Whilst pregnant the mother should not have certain foods such as soft cheese, this is because there is a risk of listeria infection. They should also avoid pate and liver. They may take vitamin supplements such as folic acid which helps prevent defects such as neural tube which can cause baby to have spina bifida.

Exercise and parental health and lifestyle can also affect children who are aged 4-9 years old, for instance if the child does not have the opportunities to exercise then they may become over weight depending on their diet.

The Healthy Schools Programme makes sure children and young people are given opportunities to be physically active. Schools can make sure this happens by planning physical education lessons.  This will also help them understand how physical activity can be a part of their everyday life. If the parent does not have enough money for exercise resources, then they can take the child to the park, which will stimulate their gross and fine motor skills and contribute to their daily exercise.

If the child is self-conscious or hates exercise, the parent should keep positive and not force activities on to the child as they may feel distressed. The child and parent, or friend can take part in the activity together, to make the child feel comfortable. The parent can also make a chart of the child’s progress with physical activities. On the chart could be stars or stickers, which will build up to achieve a goal. This will encourage the child to exercise.  

The parent’s health and lifestyle may also affect the child’s wellbeing. This is because if the parent does not do any exercise, use drugs or excessive alcohol then the child may look up to the parents.

Albert Bandura’s theory backs this up. He did an experiment on two groups of children, with an adult hitting a Bobo doll. “The first group was then shown a second adult either ignoring or encouraging the aggressive behaviour, while in the other group the second adult intervened to punish the aggressive behaviour.” Tassoni. P (2007: 71).  

After the children had watched the adult, they were put into a room, and their responses were written down. The first group of children mirrored the aggressive behaviour on the doll, whereas the second group showed little aggressive behaviour towards it. The experiment shows that children are influenced by adults’ actions, and that they need to be positive role models. As a result they may have poor housing and debt due to the parents spending the money on alcohol or smoking.

During the age of 10 – 18 years, drug and alcohol abuse in the child may occur. This is due to the fact that the child wants to fit in with their friends and not feel left out. They will want to experience new things, as they are growing older. However, if they do excessive alcohol and drugs there can be consequences, for instance liver disease and heart conditions.

Disability may also affect their wellbeing as they may find it hard to many things such as exercise and socialise. At school, the setting should adapt the surrounding to cater for the child’s needs. This will make sure they will be included and not discriminated. They can do this by adding a ramp, if the child needs a wheelchair.

E5- Include examples of different routines for children which will maintain a healthy lifestyle

Mealtime routines include following the parents instructions, as some parents may want their child to eat at certain times as it follows the routine the child has at home. Sometimes the parents may want to work with the practitioners to establish a regular mealtime routine. All children have different diets, e.g. lactose intolerant, vegetarian, gluten and wheat free diet etc., and this should all be taking into consideration. Practitioners and the child’s family should talk about which foods are and are not appropriate for the child before starting the setting.

Most children would prefer to use their fingers when eating, but should be given the opportunity to develop their skills by using a spoon, fork and then a knife. These should be the child sized versions and appropriate to the child’s age, level of development and culture. Children should also be encouraged to use the cutlery safely; in addition to this children should find mealtimes a pleasurable time and not feel like it is a battle zone. If children are put with other children it becomes a social experience of the eating there meal together.

Naptime routines are needed as most young children need lots of sleep. When putting children to bed it can sometimes be a challenging time. This is because the child can become stressed in addition to this it could also be a time of warmth and security. As all children may not want to sleep, practitioners could create a relaxed and quite rest time for them. Some children may have outgrown the need for a daytime sleep in that case there should be a restful mood created where children can do some quite activities, such as completing a jigsaw which can help the body to unwind and rest.

As all children are different they may have specific requirements to help them full asleep such as having a comforter or a glass/bottle of hot milk. If a child id with someone that is recognisable to them they may find it easier to fall asleep, then with someone that they are not so familiar with.

As seen in the appendix, children between the ages of one and four years need an average of 10 and 14 hours sleep. As whilst asleep this is when the cells in the body and brain can repair themselves and are less vulnerable to illnesses and accidents. When the body is deprived of sleep a child’s concentration, temper and ability to learn is also affected.

E6 Include descriptions of TWO (2) activities which are suitable to use with  children to promote a healthy lifestyle

The two activities which I have described are in the portfolio as an appendix at the end of the coursework. I am going to write how these activities help in promoting a healthy lifestyle and what the advantages of the two activities are.

Key Stage One – A physical education lesson

“Physical education educates young people in and through the use of the body and its movement.  It aims to develop physical competence so that pupils are able to move efficiently, effectively and safely, and understand what they are doing.  It is essentially a way of learning through action, awareness and observation.” Taken from Physical Education for ages 5-16, DES/Welsh Office 1991

The children get to choose which separate activity they would like participate within the lesson. They then change activity every fifteen minutes, which allows them to partake in a variety of activities. This also means that all children will get a turn with resources they want to use, this means that everyone is included. The children will be developing their fine and gross motor skills, during this lesson.

The resources that are needed are hoops, tricycles, bean bags, hurdles, trampoline, skipping ropes and music to listen to.

The children seemed to enjoy this lesson, as they were really enthusiastic to try out all the equipment. Some children found it hard and needed help on activities such as the assault course.  (See appendix 1 for the activity plan)

Babies – Treasury basket  

The babies will be able to explore the different textures and sounds in the basket. They will be exploring new materials, while developing their fine motor skills. Also they will be developing their sensory skills, as they are touching, seeing, smelling and hearing the materials.

The resources that are needed are tissue paper, brush, plastic keys, plastic baby mirror, natural sponge, rattle and piece of cloth. The practitioner must make sure the baby does not put these materials in their mouth. The outcome of this activity was good, as the babies seemed to really like finding new materials, which had all different sounds, textures and smells.
(See appendix 2 for activity plan and general information about a treasury basket) 

D1- Include an explanation of how routines and activities can promote and maintain a healthy lifestyle

Routines and activities can promote and maintain a healthy lifestyle. This is because the child will learn self-help skills, develop confidence and build their self-esteem.

Through a physical education lesson, children are able to develop many skills. For instance balance by jumping on the trampoline and hand to eye co-ordination by throwing bean bags. They also develop their gross and fine motor skills by riding the tricycles. If the child successfully reaches their potential and is able to do the activity, then their self-esteem will rise as they were able to do it. The physical education lesson will make sure the children have part of their daily exercise which they need.

Lunch time routines also allow the children to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This is due to the children enjoying a healthy lunch. This will make them aware of the healthy foods that they should be eating and encourage them to eat five a day. The children will also be able to socialise with their peers, which will develop their confidence. They will also develop self – help skills, for instance being able to hold a knife and fork, this will encourage independence. Having a lunch time routine, will be good for the child as they are able to feel secure as they know that similar things happen each day.

The treasury basket activity encourages the baby to develop their sensory skills. They are able to touch, see, taste, smell and hear the objects. They will also develop their fine motor skills, whilst they pick the objects up. The babies will learn through exploring different materials and textures. They will also be able to communicate with the practitioner by babbling. This will develop their language skills, which will develop their self-esteem.

Having outings to the park will make the child more aware of their surroundings. They will learn about different situations, for instance crossing the road. This will make them more attentive of safety, which will develop their self-esteem. They will be able to progress their skills, by attempting different obstacles. This may also develop their confidence as they will “enjoy and achieve through learning” Tassoni. P (2007:16) which is one of the Every Child Matters’ outcomes.

C1- Analyse the reasons for planning and implementing activities which contribute to promoting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle for children

It is important to plan and implement activities which contribute to promoting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle for children. This is because by planning, the practitioner is making routines for the children. By planning, the children will have long term effects, as it encourages good habits and a healthy living. If at home, the children do not have routines, then they will develop the sense of organisation and personal control at school.

One of The Every Child Matters initiatives outcomes is to be healthy. Moreover one of its aims is for the children to become physically healthy. This makes sure the settings must encourage healthy eating and address obesity. This initiative has influenced practice, as the children have to have physical education lessons twice a week. The practitioners must also plan activities which make the children aware of healthy foods which are nutritionally balanced. See appendices 9 for the Every Child Matters outcomes. 

Another reason why it is important to plan and implement activities is because children have the right to education, health, social services and the right to not be discriminated against. This is from the Human Rights Act 1998.

The children also learn diversely, so it is important the practitioner plans activities about healthy lifestyles in a way all the children can learn from.

This means they should observe the children to find out what their age/ stage development is. Then they can decide on the level of the work, and see if they will find it easy or progress. For instance they can use an obstacle course in a physical education lesson. If the child finds it easy, then they can go onto a harder part and progress. Through this the child’s confidence will develop and it will build their self-esteem.

Piaget was a Swiss psychologist who identified the different stages of development. He said that children moved through the sensory motor stage (0-2 years), pre operational stage (2-7 years) Piaget used the expression ‘schema’ to mean a child’s thoughts. He felt that the child’s schemas would change as new pieces of information came forward.

During the sensory motor stage he said “The child develops physical schemas as he/she gains control of his/her movements.” Tassoni. P (2007:67) Throughout the pre-operational stage the “Children begin to use symbols to stand for things, for example a piece of dough represents a cake.” Tassoni. P (2007:67) This means that the practitioner should plan activities which allows the child to use their imagination.

A- Include a reflective account of the role of the practitioner in promoting and maintaining a healthy environment for children.  

My first experience was an afternoon trip to The Co-Operative. We took a group of children aged 2-3 years, after they had woken from there afternoon nap. The aim of the trip was to teach the children about the different fruit and vegetables. As there were only four children there was me and one member of staff, we both had two children, we walked as The Co-Operative was not far from us. We ensured that the children had their coats so that they could stay warm. The only major barrier was that we had to cross the road, as there was a zebra crossing we used that. There was also a lollipop lady, we made sure that they looked left and right to see if any cars were coming and explained to them why we were doing this. When arriving at The Co-Operative we made sure that the children stayed close and were in eye sight at all times. When we found the fruit and vegetables, we asked them questions, such as if they knew what they were called and if they knew the colours of them.  

My second experience was a trip to the park; the children had finished their morning activities. There were three members of staff and me, we took a group of eight children, and like the first activity there were two children to each adult but this time the children’s ages ranged between 2-4 years. The reason for the trip was for the children to get some fresh air and to exercise. As it was a sunny day the children did not need coats but all had jumpers on. We had to cross the road at an island as this was the safest way. When arriving at the park the children were only allowed to play in the designated area, which we made sure that we supervised very strictly.  

My first experience to The Co-Operative linked to the planning of the setting as at the time they were reading the book Handa’s Surprise, and they were learning about all the different fruits that were in that book and we were also helping them learn new vegetables. It also helps them to improve on their vocabulary and counting as we asked them how many items we had at the end of their shopping trip. It encourages them to eat health, which relates to healthy eating.

My second experience to the park was linked to the planning of the setting as they would usually go outside to play in the garden, so we decided to give them more space to run around. When walking back from the park we asked them if they enjoyed their time, what they played on and if they wanted to go back soon, which helped the children to extend their vocabulary. The trip to the park helped them to have a daily dose of exercise.

The cultural and social factors that were considered is that no child is discriminated against, that none of the children where there were made to feel left out and that their opinions and needs were respected, so they were treated as individuals.

No matter what their race, religion, age or ability. For the first experience we made sure that it was appropriate for the children’s age. The social factors that were considered were to make sure that they interacted with each other and us as the practitioners; we made sure that they held the practitioner hand so they were safe.

We also made sure that they were interacting with other children and not just their usual circle of friends, by doing this the children got to build new relationships.

It was important that children listened and followed the instructions and directions that were given to them by the practitioners; as if the instructions were not followed properly the children’s life could be put in danger.

I feel that I was effective in both experiences as I asked the children questions, on the way back and asked them what they had remembered from the trip on the way back. I was able to follow the instructions given to me in a calm manner and explain to my supervisor how both experiences were when I returned.

The children listened and interacted to each other and to us as practitioners without any problems. The fact that they were both small group I was able to give the children support and the attention they needed, which helps them with their concentration and listening skills.

During both experiences I was able to interact with the children and staff and monitor the behaviour and what was happening with the children’s progress.  

REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

Websites

• http://www.nhs.uk/Planners/pregnancycareplanner/pages/Eating.aspx (accessed : 18/01/11)
• http://www.babycentre.co.uk ( accessed: 14/02/11)
  

Books

• Bruce. T  and Meggitt (2007) CACHE Level 3 Award / Certificate/ Diploma in Child Care and Education , Italy, Hodder Arnold
  
• Roffey. S (2006) Helping with behaviour, Oxon , Routledge
  

• Sunderland. J (2007) Child development London , Lonsdale
  

• Tassoni. P (2007) Child care and education 4th edition , London, Heinemann

• Danks, F. and Schofield, J. (2005) Nature’s Playground, London: Frances Lincoln Ltd.