ChooChooGames Blog

The following article has been kindly contributed by MyFamily UK. My Family UK are dedicated to helping people get the best out of family life and there are many more great articles available on its website; www.myfamilyuk.com

The problem

Processed sugar simply tastes better to children, so adults need to develop ways of getting around the taste barrier, and promoting healthy food. A child will not know what’s healthy and what’s not. They will simply pick the food that tastes best to them. As a parent, it is your job to control this blind urge: you need to teach them what is good for them. Your greatest tool here is will-power, but there is more to it than persistence.

The solution

Try the following techniques, and see if they work for you.

1) Start from the beginning
One of the hardest tasks to get a child to do is break routine. If they’ve started their life with five years of eating what they wanted, their reaction to a slice of wholemeal toast or a serving of greens is likely to make you want to give up trying to change their diet. Start them eating healthy young and you will set them up for a healthier life.

2) Avoid bad habits
Whatever you do, if your child won’t eat something healthy, don’t then give them something sweet. This cycle can start from as early as babyhood. The conclusion they will draw is that if they refuse something, they will be rewarded.

3) Your dentist is your greatest weapon
When your child goes to the dentist, get them to explain to your child (even using pictures which prove to be most effective) what will happen to their teeth if they eat or drink too many sugary things. If their teeth are in good nick, lots of praise will make them proud of that fact and they will begin to take pride in keeping them that way. Next time your child demands something sugary, reiterate what the dentist said to them and remind them of the ‘dreaded pictures’.

4) Set a healthy example
It is said that 80 per cent of children’s food preferences rely on an adult’s food preferences. They are hugely influenced by what they see their elders doing and so in this sense, if they see you eating a well-balanced, healthy diet they will assume that this in turn is the correct thing to do. Lead by example, not by words.

5) If you diet, your children will too
If, every time your child opens up the fridge, they find nothing but diet products, they will begin to assume that this is the norm, and therefore what they should do. Not only will this reduce a child’s self-esteem and self-image, but it will reinforce a negative idea of ‘healthy eating’. To be “on a diet” implies that you will come off it at some point. This indicates to your children that one need only eat healthily occasionally – but it should be a constant.

And don’t forget, the following games on the ChooChooGames website are a great way of re-enforcing the importance of good oral hygiene!

http://www.choochoogames.co.uk/games-for-young-children/the-body/the-dentist
http://www.choochoogames.co.uk/games-for-young-children/the-body/brushing-our-teeth

 We are delighted that you are able to join us for the ride!

I am Rafal Han, creator of ChooChooGames. But how did we get here?

Well, a little over two years ago I started having a real problem with answering the questions my then, four-year-old son started asking me about such as: where does water in a tap come from?; why do I have to share things with others?; why do we have to brush our teeth?

I therefore looked to the internet for assistance to find some form of illustration, metaphor or games to help answer these questions, but was dissatisfied with the possibilities the online world presented for my children. I found many games sites, but they appeared to offer little benefit to the children playing them and on some, the content worried me. I didn’t have too much trouble finding educational sites either, but they tended to promote solitary working.

I wanted to enjoy the online world with my children in the same way we enjoy reading a book together or doing a puzzle. I wanted a website intended for parents and children to play and enjoy together and that would help them communicate and strengthen their relationship with each other.

I decided to actually create this site that I was envisaging, and along with the educational aspect, I felt right from the start that it was important to include a moral element and communicate positive social messages. I wanted the site to be a place of inspiration and ideas for parents and children, enabling them to discover things online that exist in the real world which they can then go and explore in more detail in the context of real life situations.

In terms of specific developmental and educational value, ChooChooGames can help children with literacy and numeracy skills; with their hand-eye coordination and fine motor-neurone skills; and help them to discover the consequences of certain actions. Collaborating with their parents on the games helps them express themselves and increase their communication skills.

We are very proud of the site we have created, but we are also extremely lucky to have some of the best games testers around – children. Every game has to pass their test, and this ensures only the most enjoyable and engaging games make the cut.

ChooChooGames is designed to engage children and is a great family website. I sincerely hope you enjoy playing these games with your children as much as I do, and that they will bring a smile to both of your faces. Make sure you check out this blog regularly to read posts from our resident expert in mind, brain and learning – Bernadette Tynan – along with well-respected parent bloggers.

We really hope you enjoy using ChooChooGames as much as we have enjoyed creating it.

Best wishes,

Rafal Han

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