The SHKP Club had a Family Fun Day recently with dietitian Gloria Tse and psychologist Ernest Lee talking about nutrition and child rearing plus a yoga session for parents and children and a bento workshop. The various activities taught members and their children to improve their strength, agility and coordination, as well as to focus the mind and improve concentration. Here are some of the suggestions from the psychologist and dietitian for members who weren't at the talks.
Proper communication by parents can effectively improve their children's ability to solve problems independently. Ernest Lee suggests the following for parents:
-
Give children space when they encounter challenges to let them think of solutions on their own
-
If the child experiences difficulty, the parent can observe and express concern or provide encouragement and recognition as appropriate, saying things such as: "that's right, this isn't easy… do it slowly" to help child focus on the matter at hand.
-
Parents should give space for children to make decisions. If the child needs assistance, the parent can offer suggestions.
-
Some children have difficulty expressing their feelings effectively, so if they become emotional parents should observe their behavior and try to describe their feelings for them. This shows them that their feelings are important and understood.
Parents can use these expressions to encourage children to focus and work out solutions independently:
-
You are working hard! Keep it up!
-
You did it! Your hard work paid off!
-
This part was done really well!
-
Such a clever design!
There is far too much dietary information floating around for people to comprehend, so here dietitian Gloria Tse answers some common dietary questions. Here is a summary of her talk.
| Common questions | Dietitian's opinion |
| Is full-cream milk best for children's development? | It depends on the age. Generally children under two should drink full-cream milk and children from two to five can drink low-fat milk. Children over five can choose skim milk. |
| Is eating egg yolk bad for children? | Eating moderate amounts of egg yolk can help develop children's brains, so for children of normal weight parents don't need to separate egg yolks. |
| Does eating pork soup supplement calcium? | Pork soup has very little calcium, so if you want more of it, it is better to drink milk. |
| Does olive oil has fewer calories than butter? | Olive oil is healthier than butter but the calories are about the same. |
| Do beef and seafood cause eczema? | Some people get eczema after eating beef or seafood because they are allergic, but both are rich in the iron that is needed for childhood development. The dietitian suggests non-allergic children should eat both twice a week. |
| My children don’t like vegetables. Can I substitute fruit instead? | Vegetables and fruit have different nutrients and cannot replace each other. Vegetables generally have more iron and calcium but less sugar, while fruit has more vitamin C and carotene plus sugar. The dietitian suggests children from two to six have at least ¾ of a bowl of vegetables and one piece of fruit daily. |
