Healthy eating for kids at 6 years old
6-year-old children are more sophisticated eaters and are aware of their food preferences. They tend to eat as a part of a group, so you need to give them a wide variety of healthy food from each of the 5 food groups.
Fruits and vegetables
These are excellent in offering lots of vitamins and minerals necessary for fighting off illnesses. They also include fiber to maintain regular bowel movements and prevent constipation. It is easy to serve fruits and vegetables as part of a meal, fruit juice, smoothies, or a snack. Kids should consume at least 5 portions daily.
- 1 portion of fruit = 1 medium banana, apple, or orange, 1 cup canned or diet fruit (no added sugar), or 2 small kiwi fruits or plums. Offer 1 ½ servings per day.
- 1 portion of vegetables = ½ cooked veggies (spinach, broccoli, pumpkin, carrot), ½ medium potato, corn, or sweet potato, ½ cup dried, cooked, or canned lentils or beans, or 1 cup green leafy or raw salad veggies. Offer 4 ½ servings per day.
Cereals, rice, pasta, and potatoes
These are all carbohydrate foods that give children slow-release energy.
1 serve = ½ cup cooked rice, noodles, pasta, polenta, or quinoa, 1 slice of bread, 2/3 cup wheat cereal flakes, ½ cup porridge, 1 crumpet or small English muffin, or ¼ cup muesli. Offer 4 servings at each meal time plus sometimes as snacks.
Meat, fish, and alternatives
These protein foods are necessary for children to grow and repair muscles.
1 serve = 100 gm cooked fish filet, 65 gm cooked lean beef, veal, pork, or lamb, 80 gm cooked turkey or lean chicken, 2 large eggs, 170 gm cooked tofu, 1 cup cooked chickpeas or lentils, or 30 gm almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds, or sunflower seeds. Offer 1 ½ servings per day.
Milk and dairy foods
These calcium-containing foods are crucial for a child’s diet to support their bone and teeth growth. Kids at 6 need to get semi-skimmed or skimmed milk and have dairy foods thrice a day.
1 serve = 1 cup pasteurized cow’s milk, 1 cup dairy alternative (soy or rice milk), ¾ cup yogurt, ½ cup ricotta cheese, or 2 slices of cheese.
Foods containing healthy fats
Healthy fats are essential to support children’s growth and development.
1 serve = 1 to 2 tsp of olive, rice bran, and canola oil or margarine, 1 tsp of avocado, or 1 to 2 tsp of seed or nut pastes,
Drinks
The ideal drinks that should be given to children are water and milk. They need about 5 cups of fluid per day and even more on hot or humid days. Also, they should avoid soft drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, flavored milk or water, or fruit juices with added sugar.
A sample day of meals for a 6-year-old kid
Breakfast
- 1 cup of whole-grain cereals
- ½ banana
- ½ cup of skim or low-fat milk
Snack 1
- Almond butter with 1 tbsp raisins or 1 large celery stick with 1 tbsp light cream cheese
Lunch
- Whole wheat pasta with 1 thick slice of roasted chicken, 5 slices cucumbers, ¼ avocado, and 1 leaf lettuce with honey mustard
- 1 medium orange
- 1 cup of skim milk
Snack 2
- ½ cup yogurt and ½ sliced apples
Dinner
- 1 whole-wheat roll
- 2 oz. herb-marinated grilled lean steak
- ½ cup steamed broccoli with 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- ½ baked sweet potato
Exercise for kids at 6 years old
6-year-old kids should spend about 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activities to promote overall health and fitness. That might sound like a lot for a school day, but it does not have to happen all at once. Let’s check out what parents should do!
Before school
Morning is always rushed, but with some small changes, you can help your kids start the day off right. For instance:
- Do morning stretches or yoga with mom or dad
- Dance around the living room
- Walk the dog (if having more time)
During school
Kids tend to be active at school. However, if they do not, you should focus on getting them more active after that.
After school
Encourage them to use their energy to get active with friends, siblings, or on their own with some cool activities.
- Simply do active outdoor things with friends
- Sign up for an active after-school program like karate or swimming
- Playing team sports like basketball or soccer
Evening
This is an ideal time to be active as a family. You can take advantage of some precious minutes in:
- Take a short walk before or after dinner
- Play active games like catch and kickball
- Start a family dance party
Sleep and rest for kids at 6 years old
You might notice your kid going to bed earlier than previously because a full day of school might make them tired by the end of the day’s end. Kids at this age still need about 12 hours of sleep every night. Without sufficient sleep, growth issues (mainly slow or stunted growth) can happen. Besides, growth hormone production can be disrupted in those with certain physical sleep issues.
So, parents need to help them get plenty of sleep by following the helpful tips below.
- Set up a consistent bedtime. The ideal time to go to bed is between 8 and 9 p.m. (or earlier for the youngest grades and kids who need a lot of sleep).
- Establish a good bedtime routine to signal their body that it is time to sleep. For instance, give them a warm bath, read a bedtime story, and sing softly while tucking them.
- Ensure their room is conducive to sleep and limit screen time before bed to about 2 hours.
- Remember to stick to the same routines and timetable for bedtime even on weekends and vacations.
Vitamins or supplements used for kids – Yes or no?
Ideally, kids need to get their nutrients from a balanced and healthy diet (we mentioned above). However, given the reality of well-rounded, home-cooked meals are not always achievable due to some reasons. That’s why pediatricians might recommend a daily multivitamin supplement for:
- Kids are not consuming well-balanced and regular meals from fresh and whole foods.
- Picky eaters are not eating enough.
- Kids with chronic medical conditions like digestive or asthma issues.
- Kids consume a lot of fast food, processed food, and convenience food.
- Kids on a vegan or vegetarian diet, a dairy-free diet, or other restricted diet.
Also, parents need to learn how to give supplements to their kids safely and effectively.
- Place vitamins out of reach of children.
- Avoid using desserts as a treat to let them “clean their plate.” Instead, give them vitamins after the meals because fat-soluble vitamins can only be absorbed well with food.
- If your kid is taking any medication, make sure to ask their doctor about any drug interactions with certain nutrients.
Final words,
Do you still wonder how to help your 6-year-old kid grow taller? Simply following the strategies mentioned above might support a lot, but remember to be patient because height growth is a long process. That means you cannot expect your child to grow 1 to 2 inches overnight. Your responsibility is to create an ideal environment to nurture their physical and emotional development so that they can develop well.
- Related post: When Do Men Stop Growing?
