Healthy Eating and Exercise Program for Children

Presenter: David Park, Nursing, Global Public Health Scholars

For my practicum, I was an intern at the YMCA Healthy Eating and Exercise Department during winter break. If it was in person, then there would have been a classroom component where I would teach children on the importance of eating healthy and exercise since both are needed to have good health. After the internship moved to a virtual environment, the main challenge was to create material that would be engaging and enjoyable for children between the ages of 6-9. I was tasked in creating a healthy eating and exercise curriculum. I tried to make it easy to understand and hopefully be used once the pandemic is over. Next, I created introductory videos explaining the importance of healthy eating and exercise. I was then tasked with creating a worksheet with activities that children can do at home to understand what they eat and how much they exercise. I also created numerous videos on different exercises to do at home during the pandemic.

10 Comments

Andrew Ely

May 05, 2021

What strategies were the most effective to keep the young kids engaged in an online setting?

David Park

May 07, 2021

Replying to

My supervisor used to always tell me to make content was fun and engaging for children, so I was unsure at first what to do. What I did was to create stories, speak in a child friendly voice (not really important), use visuals or make material easy to understand. For example for my exercise videos, I had to choose exercises children could do and explain the exercises in a simple way. For the worksheet I created, I made stories and fun activities for children so the actual activity is fun and easy to understand. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, I was unable to meet the children in person, so I hope to go back someday to see how engaging m…

angietayel

May 05, 2021

You stated what your plans would have been if it took place in person. Do you think the results would differ/ be more significant if it actually took place in person?

David Park

May 07, 2021

Replying to

I think the results would have been more significant if it took place in person. Some children may not have stable internet access or time to watch the videos. They are also taking online classes most of their day, so they might not watch the videos. There is no way to know if children are understanding the material or applying it to their daily lives. An online world is very different from an in person world. The YMCA is very interactive and hands on, so once the pandemic hit, the main question was how to deliver the content to children to make them engaged and see the material as fun. I would have been able to see whether the children…

Dhara Patel

May 05, 2021

I really enjoyed learning about your practicum! I think it's a unique concept that is worth delving into. What is one thing you would change about how this project was conducted and why?

David Park

May 07, 2021

Replying to

Great question. Honestly speaking, I would know the answer to this question. This has been virtual, so I have not been able to do much other than create videos and other materials. The reason I do not know the answer is because I really enjoy YMCA's approach in educating people and helping them learn healthy behaviors. There is education. There are hands-on activities. The team/supervisor is very supportive and always pushed me out of my comfort zone. They allowed me to get creative. These reasons are a big plus to my interests. The only problem I had was being able to meet the people/children in person. Also, this is just what I would have done differently, but meeting children over…

Anastasia Lukyanov

May 01, 2021

Interesting topic! Since your target audience was young children, did you involve the parents at all beyond just parental consent? Did the parents engage with the program?

David Park

May 02, 2021

Replying to

Since this internship was completely virtual, there was no interaction of any sort with the children or the parents. I basically created content and sent/shared them to my supervisor. She also told me they would be uploaded to youtube. Since the main audience is children, I made the videos fun and engaging, however anyone can get involved with the program. The parents could encourage their children to practice healthy behaviors or the children would teach them. That way they can achieve good health. Although there was supposed to be an educational component through zoom, I was unable to get to that. Normally, I would be at the YMCA teaching children, but due to the pandemic, a lot of the plans…

alevent1

Apr 28, 2021

I really like this practicum project! What age children did you work with, and how were they chosen to participate in this activity?

David Park

Apr 29, 2021

Replying to

Hi alevent1. The children I worked with were between 6-11 I believe because my supervisor told me it was for young children/kids. I would not say they were chosen because the program was about healthy eating and exercise specifically for children. It is basically anyone can watch the videos and materials I created because the YMCA works with everyone. Last I heard is that the YMCA was finalizing a YouTube page where all my exercise videos were going to be uploaded, so it is very accessible. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we could not do some activities and I am not really sure how the activities are sent out. My guess is through email or posted on their website or…