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Nutrition
Celebrations in the kindergarten without sweets
“Celebrations without sweets are possible!” – this statement has been excellently proven in the kindergarten “Creakids”. One of their traditions is to celebrate any event without sweets.
That definitely doesn’t mean that the birthdays or name’s days of the children are forgotten. The opposite is true – on the special the child is highlighted, the special box of celebrations is opened, which, for example, holds a handmade crown. Both the teachers and the children say nice things about the child and hug him or her, with that creating this atmosphere of celebration.
In the case of parents insisting that there has to be some kind of food, the family can bring a fruit or another healthy snack. Another alternative is giving the child a few things, that are common in parties – party hats, bubbles, etc.
This kind of a rule is also something encouraged by a psychologist Iveta Aunīte, that says, that this is how the important part of the celebration is being together with your friends, not only eating sweets. That is really important for the development of the child – celebration doesn’t mean quantity, it means quality. Moreover, it is very important to talk about the meaning and values of celebration.
Even though every child likes gifts and treating their friends to a few snacks, it is important to showcase other traditions and surprises – that way we can show, how snacks and gifts are a small portion of any party.
There are times, when these healthy snacks are made with the help of the parents – for example, during Christmas, parents are invited to come to the kindergarten one evening, to bake gingerbread figures with their children.
A few suggestions for healthy snacks:
- Handmade bars, with fruit and nuts
- Seasonal fruit
- Vegetables served in an interesting manner
- Cranberries with icing sugar
- Dried berries