A groundbreaking new program is helping early childhood education staff promote positive body image and teach healthy attitudes about food and exercise to preschool-aged children, Emily Campbell writes.
Australian of the Year 2023 and founder of charity the Embrace Collective, Taryn Brumfitt, co-designed the Body Blocks program alongside international body image expert Dr Zali Yager.
According to Brumfitt, body image issues are increasingly impacting children at younger ages.
“Body image is so often assumed to be an issue that only affects adolescents, but it’s impacting our children at a younger and younger age,” she said.
“We know childhood is a critical period for shaping attitudes and behaviours, so we need to get in early and help them build the foundations for a lifelong positive relationship with their bodies.”
Unfortunately, research shows children aged three to five have already developed negative attitudes towards larger bodies and preferences for thinner bodies.
The Embrace Collective is concerned by this trend, given that children who have internalised such ideas about appearance at a tender age may be more likely to engage in disordered eating or experience mental health issues later in life.
Modelling positive behaviours
Dr Yager said the language used and attitudes displayed by adults influence young children’s perceptions.
“For this age group, it’s not about sitting them down for a lesson about body image,” she said.
“It’s about how we, as the adults around them, talk about food and movement and bodies – kids are little sponges who absorb everything around them.
The Embrace Collective acknowledges that early childhood education staff are in a powerful position to empower children and assist them in building a foundation of positive body image values.
Range of resources
Body Blocks draws on evidence-based practices and input from professionals, including a team of body image experts and a paediatric dietitian.
The program is free and provides resources including activities, a poster, a picture book and a song through which children can learn about how amazing their bodies are.
It also includes access to seven short, self-paced professional video modules for educators.
A large part of the program is focused on educating adults about the language they use around young children because the ways adults speak about food, movement and bodies help shape children’s perceptions.
Body Blocks by Embrace Kids is one of nine initiatives funded by the current Federal Labor Government as part of the Embrace Kids Australia package, which aims to prevent body image issues and eating disorders by improving protective factors and reducing risk factors in all environments where young people live, learn and play.
To access the Body Blocks program and learn more about the Embrace Collective, visit their website at https://bodyimageresources.com
