Providing for Wellness in the Home

Physical Education

Provision for physical activity, exercise, and movement skills is almost a given in most American homes. Parents readily encourage all types of informal as well as structured games and practice for their children. This can include everything from encouraging the toddler to take more steps to urging the primary-aged child to sign up for Little League. In addition, healthy homes stress proper bathing, keeping rubbish cleared, and avoiding toxic substances. Guided activity and more concentrated practice can be found in homes where disabilities are present.

In spite of expectations, in recent decades educators and medical practitioners have registered concerns about diminishing physical activity in many children’s lives. Busy family lifestyles and overly attractive media outlets are often blamed. Ensuring adequate exposure-to physical activity and arranging programs is another area that should become a common focus for homes, schools, and communities, to promote the use of playgrounds, gyms, and parks.

Providing Good Nutrition

Competent families know about healthy food preparation and use, the basics of nutrition, and how to deal with allergies. They are alert to regular meal times, good sanitation, and making mealtimes pleasant experiences. When health and nutrition standards are preserved, we in healthy homes eat meals with food from the major food groups, plus the following:

• Reduced use of packaged, treated foods containing high levels of fat, salt, and chemical additives
• Reduced use of sweets and soft drinks
• Regular eating habits and sensible snacks

Lifelong eating habits are formed during the early years (Aronson, 2002), and families and child-care providers play an important role in introducing new foods and establishing a relaxed eating environment. Hand washing, teeth brushing, and caring for bodily functions are other expected home responsibilities. These are also practiced in child-care settings, where many young children spend a large part of the regular workweek. Alarming statistics in recent years point to the need for families, with help from schools and communities to address problems of overeating and poor food choices. Obesity is recognized as a problem for America’s youth and has implications for the emotional health, and the later physical health issues for children (Institute of Medicine, 2006). Liverman, Kraak, and Koplan (2005) state that 22% of American children ages six and up are now obese or overweight, and this figure has doubled in fewer than 20 years. These statistics concern many citizens and call for pointed action to inform families of later dangers.

Providing for Sex Education

Health education is always a part of a quality child-care experience, but sex education can be a controversial topic. Families have the initial responsibility for children’s sex education, and at the minimum, families should focus on attention to gender differences, names for body parts, words for toileting, attention to privacy, and knowledge of “good touching” and “bad touching.” Chrisman and Couchenour (2002) suggested that although there are different approaches to sex education among families, families who support healthy sexual development “include respectful interactions with one another, appropriate expressions of affection among family members, and a sensitive awareness of both expected behaviors and unacceptable behaviors” (p. 5).

Because sex education outside the home, can be controversial, child-care centers and schools must be very clear on their procedures and maintain good communication with homes on the content of their curriculum. Although some child-care programs have a planned curriculum for sexual education, most take a more informal approach. For example, when children ask questions or behave in certain ways, the adult provides accurate information and positive guidance. Child-care programs can also serve as a resource for families and support their role in children’s sexual development. Readers may wish to consult Essa and Murray (1999) for a brief but helpful background on the sexual behavior of young children and how parents and teachers can cope with their concerns over identifying normal and deviant sexual play.