Tips for a Healthy Christmas Celebration
Celebrations are a great opportunity to encourage, promote and enjoy healthy eating.
Christmas celebrations are the perfect time to develop and build on relationships with the families and whānau and encourage their participation in your early learning setting healthy food culture.
Creating healthy foods during celebrations is a valuable opportunity for the children and families to learn and share plenty of healthy eating and other great skills connected to healthy living.
Some effective ways to achieve this:
Cooking Activities
Make some of the suggested food options with the children, as classroom activities, and print the recipes so parents can choose one to bring along to the Christmas party. By giving recipe suggestions to parents, you can invite their participation and demonstrate that celebration foods can be healthy and tasty. Not only parents will thank you for helping them decide what to bring, you'll also end up with a range of healthy and appetizing choices at your gathering! In addition, getting the families involved will enable them to recreate these ideas at home, for their own celebrations, or allow them to share some fabulous, healthy ideas of their own!
Include a variety of recipes
To ensure you’ve a variety of foods at your celebration, have a range of recipe suggestions for parents to choose from, including fresh, baked, savoury, sweet and drinks options. Remember to also have recipes to suit dietary requirements you’ve got at your setting, so all children feel included.
Make a display board
Displaying some pictures of festive food ideas on a board alongside the recipe suggestions, prior and after the celebration, will get children and parents inspired! You may choose to display photos of the children preparing the snacks and add healthy eating information to parents. The display board can then be used for ongoing display and sharing of new recipes, healthy lunchboxes, or recipes parents share from home :)
Recipe suggestions
Mini sandwiches & rolls, Cheese & Crackers, Vege Sticks & Dip, Air-popped Popcorn, Mini Muffins & Scones, Fruit Kebabs, Fruit Pizza & Smoothies are all easy, budget-friendly and yummy healthy options that could be made with the children or given as ideas to parents to bring in for a potluck-style party . As in the photos above, using red and green veggies and fruits, and a little creativity, will add an instant Christmassy look :)
Check our Celebrations’ recipe collection for some extra inspiration, including Cheesy Star Crackers, Christmas Roll-Ups, Guacamole & Tortilla Crisps (use Christmas-themed cutters to shape tortilla crisps!) and Fresh Fruit Gummies.
While you’re there, for a gorgeous Sensory Activity and gift ideas to take home, check it out our Sensory Ornaments and Happy Holidays Foot Soak.
