The child-centred, informal atmosphere that should exist throughout the day in an early years setting should also continue at mealtimes. Although dinner time (especially) necessarily involves adult timetables and other constraints, such pressures should not be apparent to the children. Of course, dinner time has its own special routine, but from a child's point of view, it should appear as just another enjoyable event in their day.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, children have been found to thrive noticeably better when they eat regularly in a happy atmosphere. If mealtimes are to be enjoyable, there are various aspects to consider apart from the actual quality and taste of the food.
An inviting dining area
Turning the dining tables at 45o to the walls looks informal and attractive. Do have tablecloths (pretty plastic, or cotton ones covered with a sheet of translucent plastic) and possibly place-mats as well. Have flowers on the tables in little pots, or, in winter, seasonal greenery, dried flowers, or bulbs growing in pots or glass hyacinth 'sprouters'. Think of your colour scheme - do the tablecloths, plates, pinafores and napkins fit in with the decor of the room? Will they complement the food? Of course, the area should look clean and reasonably tidy, setting the scene for a pleasant mealtime ahead.
An interesting feature incorporated into one or two newly-built nurseries is to have the kitchen alongside the dining area. The children can thus see all the cooking and clearing up being done before, during and after mealtimes. When children do cooking activities, such nearby access to ovens could be a boon, even though children should not go into the kitchen itself for safety reasons.
The appearance of the food itself is crucial. When the food is put on each table, it should look immediately attractive. Try to see it through children's eyes. Who can blame children for refusing greens that have turned limp and grey?
Enliven dishes by adding a few parsley sprigs, pastry 'leaves' or tassels, a dusting of paprika, edible flowers or petals (for example, English marigold, pansy, rose, or any herb flowers), a criss-cross pattern of chive blades or a border of cucumber, orange, lemon or kiwi slices. Always put either carrot or red pepper (or both) into your stir-fries for their colour, and anything with a golden brown topping looks enticing. Arrange slices of apple or orange and satsuma segments into swirl patterns on the plate. Perhaps the cook can think of some whimsical touches such as making faces with pieces of tomato on jacket potatoes, or making fish 'swim' on waves of shredded lettuce. All garnishes must be edible in case they get eaten.
Notice if children are put off by the way food is presented. Children like to see what they're getting and can be put off if foods are too mixed up. They may not like fish pie, for instance, but do enjoy fish and potato served separately. The food should not be too hot or children could burn their tongues. Younger children may not realise how hot something is, and a hungry child may not have the patience to wait.
Keep it calm
It is lovely if lunch time can be a period of relative calm in the middle of a busy day. Staff should talk quietly and encourage children to do the same. If adults call out to one another why should children not do so?
Listen critically to all the sounds in the room at lunch time and see which ones would be better reduced, such as kitchen clatter. Could a noisy fan be switched off while the children are eating? (The radio certainly must be.) Lining metal trays with a thin layer of plastic foam or bubble wrap hugely lessens the din if cutlery is tossed in.
The children will be more ready to settle down if they have been active beforehand and also if they have had good notice that it will soon be time to eat, so their play is not stopped abruptly. A brief, quiet time immediately before eating, perhaps on the mat, can help.
How to serve the food There are two ways: have the food put out in serving bowls on each table for children to help themselves, or have a 'buffet table' for children to help themselves.
Generally, lunches and any tea-time meals (that is, not just snacks) are best with food put on the table, but at other times children can choose their food from a buffet and take it to eat at a table or on a seat or mat, depending on your situation. In summer, aim to eat some food outside.
Sitting in a group at lunch time Have about six children sitting around a table along with a member of staff. The table should be ready laid with cutlery, possibly napkins, and serving implements. There also need to be beakers, and a water jug on the table or nearby. (Children can help lay tables, perhaps on a rota.) Family meals are unknown to some children, so it can be a new and very educational experience for such children to have a round-the-table meal with others. For children who may be fed on their own at home, perhaps being left in front of the television while the adults go to do something else, sociable nursery meals are especially important.
The adult may have to cut up certain foods (while sitting with the children, not standing and leaning over them), after which the children simply help themselves. They should be encouraged to do this as soon as they are physically able - from about the age of two. There are four rules.
Rule one:fair shares
Fair shares is the first essential rule. Obviously, no one has to eat all of their fair share of what's available, but no one can have more than that unless there's a genuine surplus. Having understood that, children help themselves to as much or as little as they wish of whatever is on the table.
Rule two:good food
If it's all good, nutritious food, there should be no worry about someone having too much of anything. If a child eats lots of one particular food for a while, she will probably tire of it later on and go for something else. Children may like to eat foods they don't often (or ever) get at home, or that they have a nutritional need for at that time. Let them choose; you can't always know what's behind a preference.
Rule three:no criticisms
Staff should not criticise children's choices or amounts of food chosen. Children's appetites vary with spurts of growth - and for various other reasons, including feeling unhappy or being off-colour. Also, they may try to play up staff or get extra attention over refusing food, especially if they have got into this habit at home. But it is counterproductive and often distressing for a child to be urged to eat something he doesn't want. Staff should notice if someone is eating very little, or choosing a very restricted diet over a period of time, but not seem to be paying any attention to it. Usually, when children realise that no comments are going to be made one way or the other, they relax and eat better. Criticisms from other children should also be stopped.
Rule four:sociability
Mealtimes should be pleasant, relaxed and unhurried, with time for children to chat with each other and with staff. It can be a chance for staff to get to know individual children.
You may inherit a nursery where staff dish up the food onto children's plates. If so, changing to the help-yourself way could be a priority. It has various advantages, including making less work for staff and increasing children's involvement in the meal, which can result in their eating better.
It is obviously better if children can see a whole dish before it's cut up, instead of seeing it only as a lump of something or other on their plates, which in turn gives the cook an incentive to present the food in an attractive way - otherwise it would be pointless. The appearance of a dish can in itself stimulate appetite.
