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It’s Time To Munch and Move!

May 10, 2019

A punnet of blueberries

Have you heard about Munch and Move?

Incorporating healthy eating and exercise, so it becomes a natural and instinctive part of your little one’s life – where your child chooses healthy over unhealthy eating, enjoys active play and exercise – is important.

Children need a wide variety of nutrients, such as protein, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, minerals and vitamins, to assist in their daily growth and development and to protect them from childhood illnesses.

And just as significant, a dose of daily exercise helps children to build stronger muscles and bones and limits excess body fat.

There are lots of reasons why children do not exercise enough or do not eat well.  Perhaps they don’t like the taste of certain foods, or they get bored with the lack of variety or they don’t have the knowledge to make good choices about food.

They may see moving their bodies as something they are not good at or to endure, or perhaps they prefer to play with their iPad or watch television.

Early childhood is where good habits and exposure to healthy eating and exercise is crucial for their development and wellbeing.

That’s why Grace Village has become part of the Munch and Move program and are now a certified early learning centre.

What is Munch & Move?

Cartoon of Munch & Move characters


Munch & Move is a NSW Health initiative offered to early childhood services, to support the healthy development of children from birth to 5 years.

The initiative promotes physical activity, healthy eating, and reduced small screen time (watching TV or DVDs, playing on computers and small hand-held games devices) through a range of fun, play-based learning experiences.

Grace Village educators have been fully trained in the initiative and have new resources to implement fun, play-based activities to support healthy eating and physical movement in young children.

These family-focused activities are easily replicated at home for parents and caregivers and provide simple, practical tips and ideas to engage children in active play and healthy eating.

Munch and Move at Grace Village

Your child’s nutrition has always been important to us.  Our dietician approved morning teas, lunches and afternoon teas consist of a wide variety of healthy, wholesome and fun meals for your little one to explore and experience new tastes with other little villagers.

Our physical activities are filled with stimulating and various forms of exercise in our new natural outdoor play area complete with tepee, sandpit, climbing mounds, balancing stumps, and natural creek with water pump.

Grace Village have already been sharing some great activities as part of the Munch and Move program.  Many of these activities you can also do at home to enhance your child’s healthy eating and exercise at home.

Let’s look at some activities inspired by Munch and More to teach your children.

Gardening and growing plants

Our little villagers planted some vegetable seeds in our new garden beds.  As we watered and cared for them, we were able to watch the plants grow to be big and strong until the vegetables were ready for picking and eating.

When the plants were fully grown, the plants were given to the parents to take home to cook and eat the new vegetables. The children were proud of their work helping to grow a plant and provide food for the family.

A group of preschool children in green hats with a teacher in a vegetable patch

Activities designed to move little bodies

Soccer
Grace Village, along with daily play activities, have structured programs in soccer and yoga, introducing your little ones to new and varied ways to exercise.

The soccer program with Soccer Pat is for ages 2-6.  During the session, football skills and game knowledge, speed and agility with the ball are taught to develop their gross motor skills.  The little ones also discover a new way to interact with their peers.

Two little Socceroos, Trey and Zayde “looove soccer Pat”
Linda, Grace Village parent, “We love Soccer Pat too!”

Yoga
As part of our wellbeing program, yoga is a great exercise routine to improve concentration, self-esteem, academic performance as well as increase their strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, and fitness.

It also helps with behavioural problems, regulating emotions, and reducing depression and anxiety.

Cooking and food preparation

Getting little ones into the kitchen is a great way to encourage an adventurous palate or encourage fussy eaters to try new tastes.

Feeling, cutting, spooning new ingredients and foods, and the smells from cooking encourage children to taste them and to talk about why they like and don’t like different tastes.  Decorating and plating the food is great for kids to explore food integrated into play.

Little ones in the kitchen are not always easy but it can be fun.  We recommend you prepare before you start, dial in lots of love, patience and time – and you are all set to go, mess and all!

Cooking skills can be as simple as cutting up vegetables

Preschoolers cutting up vegetables

Grace Village is childcare reimagined. We will be incorporating new activities into your little one’s day to get them to Munch and Move. Watch our posts on social media for all the fun activities you can try at home as well.


Discover more about Munch & Move at Grace Village with your own guided tour. Click here to book


Do you have any great ideas you would like us to try or feel free to ask us or your child what activities they would like to do at home?

Let us know in the comments below – because we can all improve how we Munch and Move!

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What Parents Say

Grace Village Early Learning Centre
5.0
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One of the best experience of our life and best decision to have our kid in Grace Village. Best teachers and whole staff. Bundle of thanks to the whole team.Highly recommended.
Zeeshan A.
Zeeshan A.
If I could give more stars, I would! Grace Village is an exceptional centre! Chantel and Ray go out of their way to provide the best quality care from the moment you walk in the door. Both of my... children have attended the centre for the past three years. Both the boys have loved every moment at the centre and have huge smiles when we pick them up. The staff provide interesting and varied activities and are truly dedicated to making every day an enjoyable experience for the children. Sadly we are having to relocate but it is has been very hard to find a centre that compares. We will miss GV!!read more
Sarah S.
Sarah S.
GV has fantastic facilities including a third space for parents, an art atelier, lovely free-play outdoor spaces, and an epic undercover play area that allows children to be feel as though they are... playing outdoors when the weather doesn’t allow for true outside play. No other centre we have toured has offered play areas like this.We chose GV for our children because of their play-based (Reggio Emilia) philosophy and approach. We love that our little people have been able to be barefoot most of the time, supporting sensory feedback and encouraging their physical and mental development.Everyone at GV shows love for our children as they would their own. GV has been our home away from home, our family and greatest support through some very hard times.Thank you to all the nurturing educators, carers and all of the GV tribe for guiding our young man and little lady through their special formative and most impressionable years.read more
Bee V
Bee V
Grace Village is a fantastic family run early learning centre. We’ve been sending our kids there for almost 4 years and we feel safe knowing that our kids are in great care.
Attila J.
Attila J.
Best preschool I could ask for to send my children too. I am a childcare educator myself & I can’t fault grace village. They really do go above and beyond for the children & ensure they are cared &... educated at an exceptional level.read more
Tara A.
Tara A.
Grace Village Huntingwood is an amazing early learning centre that continuously goes above and beyond to provide exceptional care for all the children and support families with the challenges of... working life. Unfortunately we moved away from this area, but I continued to drive 45 minutes each way to send my daughter here before she started kindergarten. I would highly recommend this centre to anyone looking for above and beyond care for their child/ren. The staff really care about the children and it is an extension of your family life. Thanks to the team for all the amazing care for our children!read more
Belinda H.
Belinda H.
My child has attended this lovely village for almost 4 years. Awesome learning center as there is always a little bit of extra effort in every single thing that they do. They have amazing and... friendly staff, great facilities and all round activities to ensure that a child develops physically,socially,emotionally and mentally well balanced. In each special occasion they have given us special memories whether in the app, physical souvenirs and lots of memories we’ll look back on when they grow older. My son is now in kindy but he still misses the staff and his friends there. Amazing and highly recommended team !read more
Maria De V.
Maria De V.
My two children have been with Grace Village from 8months old. Just over 3years later, we are relocating, and finding it hard to find a learning centre that is up to the standard of GV. The entire... team at Grace Village has always given our two children such high quality education, care, and emotional support. Communication was always open and clear. It’s really is a village environment, we are blessed to have been a part of & will miss everyone who made a beautiful impact on our children’s first years of life. Thank you Grace Village!read more
stacey K.
stacey K.
We really enjoyed the 4 year experience at Grace Village.Our kids were in the door from when Grace Village first opened and they managed to create a real community feel at this centre.The kids... loved the different play spaces and they always managed to give the children great learning experiences.We really really miss this centre is was a part of our daily routine.We will definitely miss the awesome staff too (and the odd morning coffee and breakfast treat! :-)2022 will feel so strange without Grace Village!read more
Stu E.
Stu E.
Grace Village is the best trustworthy, professional and reliable ELC you can take your child too. Kind , caring and loving educators who gives loads of love and attention to your child. My child n I... have had the best experience at Grace Village ELC, we will dearly miss you guys 😊. Thank you for everythingread more
Elina Q.
Elina Q.
Phenomenal. I’m so lucky to have found Grace Village.What a team of amazing professionals who care for your child as their own. I’m so sad my sons time has come to an end and moving up to Kindy. You... will always be in our hearts and have taught my son SO much!! I cannot ever Thankyou all enough.read more
Casey O.
Casey O.
Thank you for the last 2 years, my little one enjoyed her time ar Grace Village. The centre is clean, new and has an amazing play based philosophy. I would recommend Grace Village to family and... friends. Chantel is very professional and approachable, the educators are so lovely! My little one built friendships with her peers and has been supported by her educators. I had 2 previous experiences with other daycares that were awful, Grace Village has definitely met my expectations and I plan to enrol my other little one in the future!read more
Hiba F.
Hiba F.
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44 Huntingwood Drive, Huntingwood, NSW, 2148 · 1300 854 388