UNIT 11 NUTRITION THROUGH LIFE

CYCLE - THE SCHOOL AGE

This unit will deal with nutritional needs of school age children i.e., children in the age
group of 7-12 years. In this period child's daily routine changes because of school, studies
and extra-curricular activities. Moreover their nutrient stores are built up for the growth
spurts that will follow.

Structure
11.0 Objectives
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Growth of'school Age Children
11.3 Nutritional Needs of Children
11.4 Meeting Nutrient Needs
11.5 School Meals and Packed Lunch
11.6 Let Us Sum Up
11.7 Answers to Check Yaur Progress

11.0 OBJECTIVES
Having studied this unit you will be able to :
describe the normal growth pattern of school age children
state thc nutritional requirement for this age group
suggest how to meet their nutrient needs, and
plan a practical feeding schedule including a nutritious packed lunch.

11.1 INTRODUCTION

In the previous units, we discussed nutritional needs and growth of children after grouping
them according to their chronological age. You can also call the school age period as
'Middle Childhood'. We cannot clearly define the age limit for the school age period. The
school age period begins at 6 years and ends at the onset of pubertal changes. Therefore,.
the end of this period varies between sexes and between individual children. This is
because girls mature earlier than boys, and even among girls, some will mature earlier than
others.
However, for convenience you can say that school age children are those who are between
6 and 12 years. After 13 years, children enter their adolescent years. You may call them
teenagers.
I
Some people have called the school years of a child, the serene or calm period because
,
1 you have fewer problems with the child than you would have either in the preschool period
or-during adolescence. You will see that physical ability of the child improves and makes
the child more skilful. Thus the child may rake more active part in sports. Helshe will be
!
! more independent than before.
In this period, you will see a steady increase in their height and weight. One important
aspect in the child's life is the daily routine of school and perhaps extracurricular
activities. You want the child to perform well in studies, concentrate in school. For all this
adequate food inrake is a must. Not just that, but you must ensure that the child has
adequate nutrient stores for the growth spurt that will follow. In this unit we shall discuss
about the growth of the school age child and its nutritional needs. We shall also consider
Ne relevance of packed lunches and school meals for this age group.
Nutrltion From &hod Age to
Old Age 11.2 GROWTH 0%'
SCHOOLAGE CHILDREN
Children &tween 6 years and the onset of the adolescence grow relatively slowly. In
the first few years i.e., about 7 to 9 years, you may not find great differences in
growth rates of boys and girls. However after this, girls will grow faster than boys
and sometimes you may find that by 10 or 11 years a girl may be taller and heavier
than a boy of the same age.
One characteristic that you will notice is that there is individuality in growth rate ot
children in these years. There is little growth in head size, but the hunk and legs grow
(remember brain growth is completed during the preschool years.) Skeletal maturation
occurs during these years. Annually the increment in height may be approximately 5 to 6
cm, with girls gaining a little more than boys. Weight increases are usually between 2 and
3 kilograms per year.
You must take care to ensure that the child should gain appropriate weight as per his age
and height.

11.3 NUTRITIONAL NEEDS OF CHILDREN

As such, children in this age group have no special nutritional needs. Since children are
growing at this age, they require all the nutrients. Give them a well-balanced diet. Children
who play a lot, and are very active, will need more energy than children of the same age
who are less active i.e., one who spends a lot of time in reading, or watching television. or
painting or drawing.
If the child is getting an adequate diet, school age children have a low risk of having
nutritional problems. However, any inadequacy in a child's diet will affect him/her more.
quickly and more severely than it would an adult. Blood formation keeps pace with the
need for increased blood supply for the child's growing body. Children from this age group
have more resistance to disease than the preschoolers.
Another important point to bear in mind is that girls should have an adequate iron intake so
that they have sufficient iron stores before they reach menarche. Undernutrition may have
serious consequences. If the child is undernourished, helshe will become easily tired and
will not be able to perform well in school or be able to do the physical activities well or
fully. Such a child may be rnore susceptible to infection also.
In Unit 3 we gave you a food guide. Use this guide to see that you give the child a well
balanced diet.
Remember that different children will have different appetites and needs. SO use the
suggested daily portions as a rough guide. Upto the age of 10 or 11 boys and girls do not
differ much in the food needs.
We have given you here a sample menu for a school going child.

Breakfast : ParathWpma
Milk/Egg
Banana/Guava/Orange
Lunch Chapati
Leafy vegetable and dal preparation
Carrot (Salad)
DahifLassi
Tea Tea
Biscuits/Chikki/Bread and butter
Dinner Rice
Chapati
Vegetable
Dal
Milmahi
. Salad
In the day a child should get the following foods in addition to an adequate intake of ~utritio~~hrw Life
g hCyele
cereals: -Th) ScRod Age

2 Servings of Milk
2 Servings of dal
3 Servings of vegetables (including 1 of green leafy/yellow orange vegetable)
1 Serving of fruit
Sugar - according to taste
Oil, fat - added while cooking

11.4 MEETING NUTRIENT NEEDS

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During the early part of this age span, you may find that the child has a poor appetite like
the preschooler. On the whole,however, the child will be eating more amount of food and
in most cases will accept a wider variety of dishes. Usually you find less feeding problem
with the school age child. Likes and dislikes have been established by this time but
remember that they are not necessarily permanent. Therefore,establish good, healthy
eating habits. Do give as wide a variety of foods as possible.
Starting school (especially full-time) can bring a number of changes in your child's eating
habits. A large part of the child's time wiil be spent in school. Therefore, the meal timings
should be adjusted according to the child's schedule. You must see that the child has a
good breakfast. Remember, a hungry child cannot concentrate and participate fully in the
learning experience. Include not only cereal but also a protein-rich food and a fruit which
supplies some vitamin C at breakfast time.
Lunch should supply about one-third of the child's requirement. For many children, it is
necessary to provide a packed lunch. When the child comes home from school (depending
on the time) you should give some snacks.
Often you will find that the child becomes so involved with other activities that it is
difficult t6 get himher to sit down and eat. Also when you force them they may eat a little
and rush back to whatever they were doing. Later they may feel hungry, and want a snack.
If you do give snacks, encourage the child to eat nutritious ones instead of chocolates or
wafers. Do not give fizzy drinks. Children learn by example. So if you take the attitude
that such foods as wafers or chocolates are to be eaten occasionally and you put a definite
limit on the amount of sweets you will develop healthy eating habits in the child.
In the daily diet include 2 to 3 servings of fruits or vegetables and try and include greep
leafy or yellow vegetables a b u t 3 to 4 times a week. Make sure you include a citrus fruit
or some other good source of asocorbic acid. Many children may dislike vegetables.
However you must try and get them to eat these foods. One way of doing so is by
preparing colourful and attractive, tasty dishes. Another important aspect is that at this age
they may need to eat four or five times a day.
Permanent teeth start erupting at about 6 years. You must guard against caries formation in
children at any age but especially in school children because they have permanent teeth.
Caries formation occurs because of poor dental hygiene especially after consumption of
sweet foods. You can prevent this by ensuring that the child brushes and cleans his teeth
well in the morning and night. Also do not glve too many sweet foods.
Check Your Prqgress
1 What are the nutritional requirements of school age children? How are they related to
the growth of children?
NutritionI From Sch*lAgeto 2 Plan a day's menu for a 10-year-old girl. Will the nutritional requirement for a
Old Age
10-year-old boy differ from that of a girl? How and why?

11.5 SCHOOL MEALS AND PACKED LUNCH

For most children, lunch time will be during school hours. You already know that the
lunch should provide the child with one-third of hisher daily nutrient needs. Most of the
time you will have to provide a packed lunch to your child.
You lnust keep a few points in mind while planning a packed lunch.
1) It should be easy to eat and not spill over or leak. Avoid any oily or liquid preparations
(unless you give it separately in a bottle). Oil and liquid will leak out of the box and
spill over your children's books. Chutneys, etc. should be as dry as possible.
2) Let the food be as dry as possible (your child maylmay not have a place to sit down and
eat and wash hands as he can at home).
3) Many things which taste good when they are hot are not so tasty when they are cold. A
packed lunch will always be cold. Hence make it as attractive as possible.
If you or other adults in the family already take a packed lunch, you will have some
experience. Many people take chapatifroti and some vegetable. This is alright. But it is not
enough. You need to add some fruit (which will not get mashed) and sometimes a chikki
piece or biscuitsfladdu for your child. Laddu, chikki, etc. can be made beforehand and
kept; fruits like banana, guava, chickoo, musambi, orange, apple are all easy to cany.
If you give a salad vegetable like tomato, do not cut it into small pieces. A small whole
tomrto (the size of a lemon can be put in the lunch box). Chutney, e.g., coriander or mint
chutney can be put in a separate small container inside the lunch box.
Some schools also provide lunches to the students under school meal programmes.
However, you must make sure that the lunch the school gives is well balanced. Many
schools may just give a snack especially fried snacks.
Even among snack foods like idli, sambar, chutney, vegetable sandwiches or dhokla are
better than biscuits, etc. Some schools may provide a full lunch as you would at home such
%rice, dal, chapati, vegetable. This is very good.
 Nutrition ThrwghLMe Cycle
11.6 LET US SUM UP -The Sehwl Age

Growth in the school years occurs at a slow but steady pace. Except in the early school
years. appetite of the school child is quite healthy. Nutrient requirements are in proportion
to their growth rate and energy requirements and will vary according to their physical
activity. If the school-child is malnourished, he/she will not be able to perform well in
school. Providing adequate nutrition is important so that the child will be able to build up
adequate nutrient reserves which will be needed during the adolescent growth spurt.

11.7 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

1 During school age 6-12 years children are continuously but slowly growing so they
require a well-balanced diet. Girls of this age should have an adequate iron intake so
that they have sufficient iron stores before they reach menarche. If the child is
undernourished it will affect his physical growth and performance in school.
2 SAMPLE MENU FOR A 10-YEAR-OLD CHILD
Breakfa? : Paratha/Upma/Bread 2 slices
MilkJEgg
Fruit
Lunch : Chapati - 2
Leafy Vegetable 112 katori
Dal 1 katori
Dahi 1 katori
Tea Tea/milk
Biscuitslsandwich of 2 slices
Dinner : Rice 314 katori
Dal 1 katori
Vegetable 112 katori
Salad
Dahi 112 katori
At 10 or 11 years the growth of girls is faster than that of boys so a 10-year-old girl will
require more calories in the diet. At this age girls will also require more iron-rich foods to
build up their iron stores. Calories may be provided by consuming more of cereals and
pulses and iron by green leafy vegetables;
Practical Exercise 1
Give 5 different menus for packed lunches I'or a child.

Practical Exercj* 2
Suggest some dishes that can be served by schools for their lunches.