Kindaburra Children’s Centre remains an ongoing supporter of the Munch & Move program, a NSW Ministry of Health initiative. Munch & Move is a fun, play-based program for children 0 – 5 years that promotes healthy eating, active play and reduces small screen recreation.

Detailed below are the six key messages that the Munch & Move initiative aims to promote and includes some of the ways in which Kindaburra incorporates these key messages throughout all planned, unplanned and routine experiences.

1.  Encourage and Support Breastfeeding

- At Kindaburra, we appreciate that any time spent between families and their children at the service, such as transition periods and feeding times, are intimate and valuable experiences. Therefore, we believe that it is important to support families by providing relaxed and comfortable family gathering spaces within each of our rooms. Comfortable adult sized tables and chairs are provided where families are invited to connect and share in their child’s education and care journey. Access to fresh drinking water and children’s resources, such as books and toys are also available in the nursery for mothers who wish to attend the service at regular intervals to continue breastfeeding their child. Likewise, the Kindaburra nursery team is also on hand to provide support for families who intend on beginning their journey towards infant formula feeding and finally their transition to solid foods. The team has also compiled a useful resource folder that families can browse through which provides useful hints and tips regarding infant feeding guidelines.

- Likewise, the Australian Government’s Eat for Health website also provides valuable information regarding Infant Feeding Guidelines via this link

2.  Choose Water as a Drink

- At Kindaburra we value the importance of choosing water as a drink and encourage our families to do the same by sending their child to the service with fresh drinking water daily.

- Here at the service we ensure that the children can readily access water drinking stations in each of our preschool rooms. Likewise, drink bottles filled with fresh water are accessible to the preschool, toddler and infant children at all times, both indoors and outdoors.

- Likewise, within the service there are several drinking fountains that the children can access to ensure that they are consuming the recommended daily intake of water to remain hydrated. It is recommended that toddlers require around 1 litre of fluid each day and pre-schoolers around 1.2 litres, which can increase in hot weather and during periods of physical activity.

- Also, Kindaburra staff demonstrate positive attitudes towards choosing water as a drink by only consuming water when on the floor and regularly encouraging our children to consume water at mealtimes. This is achieved through modelling, songs and games.

3.  Eat More Fruit and Vegetables

- Kindaburra prides itself on providing a diverse and nutritious meal plan that accommodates all the children’s different dietary requirements. Kindaburra employs a full-time qualified chef and an assistant chef that prepare all the food on the premises daily using fresh, high quality ingredients. A copy of the fortnightly menu is displayed in the foyer for families to view and the kitchen team are more than willing to pass on the recipes to your child’s favourite dishes.

- Also, for convenience, families are welcome to purchase dinner boxes from Kinderfood that can either be consumed at the centre or taken home as a healthy and nutritious pre-prepared meal that is freshly cooked on the day.

- Another way that we at Kindaburra encourage increased fruit intake is by inviting families to provide a piece of fruit daily. This fruit is prepared and distributed throughout the centre ensuring that each child accesses a wide variety of different fruits each day. In some cases, the fruit is used as a teaching tool whereby the children are encouraged to observe and smell the fruit in its natural state before preparing their own healthy snacks.     

- For information on the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating please visit the Australian Government’s Eat for Health website 

- Likewise, there is a wonderful resource that can be downloaded via the ‘Munch & Move resources’ page on the Healthy Kids website that provides; Menu planning checklists; Lunchbox checklists; Ideas for packing lunchboxes; Sample daily menus.

4.  Choose Healthier Snacks

- As part of our transition-to-school program families are encouraged to start bringing in lunchboxes for their children at mealtimes. During this period, our educators provide a list of healthy and exciting lunchbox suggestions.

- Likewise, the kitchen team are on hand to provide recipes for healthy snack options that can be prepared at home and packed in lunchboxes or brought into the service when sharing a plate at Kindaburra gatherings and events. Also, the kitchen team can provide recipes for delicious birthday cakes that are made using healthier ingredients that are locally sourced and can be altered to suit most dietary needs.

- For more information on ‘snacks’ please download the ‘Caring for Children: Birth to 5 years’ manual via the ‘Munch & Move resources’ page on the Healthy Kids website

5.  Get Active Each Day

- Kindaburra Children’s Centre is fortunate to have a large, natural outdoor learning environment that is perfect for all active play. The outdoor area is separated into different play spaces that caters for each of our different age groups and provides just the right amount of security and challenge.

- Educators in each room are knowledgeable regarding the different physical milestones that children in their care are working towards and intentionally plan to support this individualised learning and development.

- Likewise, the Kindaburra team understand the importance of planning experiences where children can practice their Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS). “FMS are a specific set of skills that involve different body parts such as feet, legs, trunk, arms, hands and head”. There are 3 categories of FMS that young children should be working towards; Stability, Locomotion and Manipulation.

- Kindaburra also invites outside professionals to attend the service weekly to run movement classes. One program is a music session where children can experiment with different instruments including bongos, ukuleles and shakers, whilst also getting up and active when combining music and movement. The other program is a Yoga session that incorporates movement, relaxation and mindfulness.

- For more information regarding physical activity recommendations for children birth – 5 years please download the Get Up & Grow resource here

6.  Turn Off the Television and Computer and Get Active

- Although Kindaburra appreciates that we live in a technological age and values the importance of introducing our children to technology, we also acknowledge that all screen time must be educationally relevant and age appropriate and therefore limit our screen time for these purposes.

- For more information regarding Sedentary Behaviour Recommendations linking to screen time please download the Australian Government’s Get Up & Grow recommendations accessed via this link

For more information regarding any of the 6 key messages that the Munch & Move program aims to promote, and for access to several useful resources for families please visit the Healthy Kids website here