Abstract
The present study investigated whether and how themed food series of picture books integrated into preschool daily life activities and curriculum can elevate young children's healthy dietary habits. In order to realize whether young children can recognize the healthy dietary habits, understand the eating attitudes between themselves and the roles in the picture book, and identify with the healthy eating attitudes. 30 children (aged 4-6 years) and 10 of their parents participated in co-reading sessions using 10 selected themed picture books on three morning days in preschool every week for 18 weeks. These children were randomly selected from the researchers' three classes in one preschool. Within the child-centered integrated curriculum design, the reading style was either passive or interactive or combined with classroom group discussion model. From 18 weeks' observation, recording, semi-structured interview with children and parents, and children's work and file analysis, the results suggest that 1. Picture books are effective when children are actively involved; 2. Children recognized with characters' positive dietary attitudes in picture books. 3. Children could clearly point out the similarities and differences between the roles' attitudes in the picture books and their own real life dietary attitudes. 4. Children had ability in identifying with characters' positive dietary attitudes in picture books. 5. Facing peers in classroom showing negative response in verbal expressions, actions and emotions to healthy food, children could offer practical solutions for verbal communicating or body language to guide others to conduct appropriate and healthy dietary behaviors.
Highlights
The researcher considered that picture book in the broad sense covers a wider range of books with images as the subject, and text as the subsidiary; so it is possible that the picture book are all images with unrestricted reading objects but without any text
For children aged 4-6 and their care-givers, the results show that nearly 80% of children have the habit of drinking sugared beverages every day
The understanding in this paper refers to the interpretation for the eating attitudes of the role after children read the picture book
Summary
Many children do not eat enough fruit and vegetables From children’s breakfast, lunch, and desert time, children tend to be unable to finish their meal, refuse to eat, cry and scream, unwilling to eat vegetables or throwing food away, all becoming the ordinary show on stage in the classroom. With research emphasizing on effect of picture books on children’s language development (Whitehurst, 1988)[18] and recognition development (Zeinstra, Koelen, Kok, & De Graaf, 2007)[19], an engaging way to stimulate children’s fruit and vegetable consumption is exertion of shared reading, such as using picture books with characters modeling healthy food behaviors. There are a total of 30 students in the class
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