Open online short course Food for Kids: A Parents' Guide

It can be hard for parents to work out how much and what type of food to feed their children. Which parenting strategies can help kids to enjoy vegetables, healthy snacks and new foods? Join us in Food for Kids: A Parents' Guide as we answer these tricky questions. In this course, we will look at what is actually in food, why we need it, and how we identify healthy choices.

We will cover food-based guidelines to support the development of healthy eating for primary school-aged children. We will also discuss food marketing and health messages, as well as sustainable eating.

The course will also cover common food-related behaviours in children and strategies to assist parents in child feeding. This includes advice for managing picky eaters, meal planning and healthy options for family meals.

This course has a partner course called Food for Kids: Discovering Healthy Eating which is for primary school-aged children.

What you'll learn

• What is in food and drinks and how they influence growth and development
• How much and which foods are enough for children to meet nutrition guidelines
• Nutrient intake targets for children
• How health messages and food marketing influence children
• Managing common food behaviours during childhood
• Practical guidance toward healthy household eating habits.

Course Syllabus

Week 1 - What is in Food?

• Food for children’s growth, development and wellbeing
• Age-specific nutrition guidelines
• What foods do children need more of, what do they need less of?
• Do children need extra vitamins?

Week 2 - Positive Food Communication

• Food marketing and understanding food labels
• Encouraging a positive family food culture
• Managing common food behaviours in children.

Week 3 - Practising Healthy Eating at Home

• Practical food and nutrition guidance to support parents in developing healthy eaters
• Cooking with kids
• Sustainable eating and reducing food waste.

Meet the instructors

Professor Clare Collins

Clare is a Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle in Australia. She loves nutrition and does a lot of research related to healthy eating to improve health and well-being. She has published over 250 research papers and supervised lots of budding researchers and research studies.

Associate Professor Tracy Burrows

Tracy is an Associate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle in Australia. She is highly passionate about all things food, food behaviours, and communicating high quality, evidence-based information about diet and nutrition.