To counteract the prevalence of childhood obesity and to establish lifelong healthy living, this research-based early childhood curriculum is designed to increase children’s preferences for nutritious fruits and vegetables, fitness, and overall wellness. It is written in a very clear, understandable style that translates well in the classroom. The program is perfect for pre-school and childcare as well as for parents to implement in the home. The activities can be tailored to fit any early childhood program, climate, or geographical region. It is never to early to learn about wellness!

Early childhood specialists Bergen and Robertson provide a resource containing checklists, research-based information, and instructions for creating an action plan to aid early childhood professionals in evaluating and improving the wellness component of their programs. They concentrate on six areas — nutrition and healthy eating habits, physical activity and fitness, emotional health and resilience, physical health, safety and risk management, and leadership — that involve avoiding health problems and emphasize good health and preventative practices. They focus on topics directly related to health and wellness, so exclude cognitive development, literacy, music, science, and other areas. Each section has an overview explaining the relevance to early childhood, sections on specific wellness objectives, and goals and checklists of indicators.

200 Essential Preschool Activities is a must-have for new and aspiring teachers who want to provide, fun, fresh, and highly effective learning activities for young children. Olson not only provides an abundance of activities to choose from, but she provides you all the details you need to turn your classroom into a learning playground.

Bergen and Robertson speak from a wealth of experience in offering very important and very practical tools and strategies that early childhood programs can employ to help their children and staff members get on the path to wellness.