Meal Times at School

At Utopia, we offer time for Breakfast, Snacks, and Lunch. These meals are not only important for filling our bellies and refueling, but also for working on other skills, like independence and language development. 

 

The children are learning to monitor their hunger cues by recognizing when they are hungry or full. They are also practicing how to ask for what they need: "Can I have more milk, please?" "I need help opening this." or "I need a napkin for my mouth!" 

 

For children who need a reminder in these areas, the teachers support the children by verbalizing what they see. For example, a teacher might say, "I see you have a some yogurt on your mouth! Let's get a napkin so you can wipe it." or "I see you still have a lot of your pasta left in your lunchbox! Let's take three more bites so we can fill up your tummy." Recognizing and communicating what we see helps the children build self awareness and care of their own bodies. 

 

Meals are also a time to connect with friends! The children are often talking about what they did during the day, telling stories, making plans, and comparing what's in their lunch! Meals are a great time to build language, while listening and responding to their peers. 

Our goal for meals at school is to be an enjoyable time for children to in community with their friends, while also taking time to relax, refuel, and learn independence.