Inspire Healthy Habits to Transform Children’s Futures
Give every child the best possible start through movement, nutrition and joyful everyday learning.
Healthy development doesn’t just happen: it grows through consistent, nurturing experiences. When early years settings champion physical activity and nutrition, children develop stronger bodies, more curious minds and a lifelong love of movement and food.
NDNA is here to help you build that foundation with confidence.
🍎 Nourish to flourish: Why healthy eating matters
Children need the right balance of vitamins, minerals and nutrients to fuel growth, regulate emotions and support learning. In the early years, food shapes more than physical health – it shapes habits, preferences, confidence and well-being.
Early years settings have a unique opportunity to influence change through mealtimes, snacks and foodbased activities. A healthy eating approach helps children build steady energy levels so they can stay focused and engaged throughout the day. It also supports better sleep, which is important for brain development and overall growth. By exploring a wide range of flavours and textures from an early age, children can grow into confident and adventurous eaters. Many children still consume too much sugar, so eating well helps protect their teeth, reducing the risk of dental decay and unnecessary hospital visits.
🏃♀️ Active children, bright futures: Why movement matters
Movement is a powerful driver of learning. When children are active, they are strengthening muscles and strengthening neural pathways. Yet only a small proportion of children currently meet recommended activity levels2.
Daily movement plays an important role in supporting children’s overall development. It helps build core strength, balance and coordination, while also developing the gross and fine motor skills children need for writing, self-care and play. Children grow in social confidence through active experiences, learning more about teamwork and communication skills as they interact with others. Movement also supports emotional resilience, helping them manage their feelings in healthy ways. Most importantly, active play sparks natural curiosity, encourages problem-solving and fuels imagination as children explore the world around them. Children who have the opportunities to move more are likely to feel well, be curious about the world and be ready for the next adventure.
🌱 Learning through doing: Powerful handson experiences
Children are far more likely to enjoy healthy foods when they’ve explored them in real, sensory ways because practical experiences bring learning to life and help them feel connected to what they eat.
Engaging handson activities include:
- Planting seeds and watching food grow
- Caring for vegetables or herbs, building responsibility and pride
- Harvesting crops, deepening understanding of where food comes from
- Cooking simple recipes, enhancing independence, maths and science skills
- Tasting the results, encouraging even reluctant eaters to try new foods.
This approach encourages children to become more willing to try fruit and vegetables and helps build curiosity rather than fear around new foods. Over time, these positive experiences create a strong foundation for lifelong healthy habits, supporting children to make confident and nourishing choices as they grow.
NDNA supports settings with practical ideas, resources and Healthy Body Happy Me activities to enrich this experience.
📘 Movement Matters: Your guide to embedding active learning
NDNA collaborated with the National Early Years Active Start Partnership to co-author the Movement Matters publication, a researchaligned, practical guide for early years professionals.
It’s an essential resource for any setting wanting to elevate active learning. It provides:
- Clear explanations of why movement is vital from birth
- Ideas for active learning indoors and outdoors
- Links between physical activity, behaviour, well-being and learning
- Strategies for inclusive practice and supporting children with additional needs
- Evidencebased guidance you can confidently share with staff and families.
🧡 PANCo: The wellbeing leader every setting needs
A Physical Activity and Nutrition Coordinator (PANCo) is a highly trained health champion who embeds well-being into the heart of your practice.
A PANCo helps empower staff with up-to-date knowledge and the confidence to promote healthy practices across the setting. They support consistent, positive routines across rooms and age groups, ensuring children receive the same strong messages wherever they are. By strengthening partnerships with families through shared guidance and clear communication, a PANCo helps build a united approach to well-being. They also lead meaningful cultural change, embedding health and well-being into the heart of your setting’s identity, while transforming mealtimes, movement opportunities and outdoor learning into rich, purposeful experiences.
With NDNA training, your PANCo becomes a key driver of quality improvement and a trusted advocate for healthy, active lifestyles across your whole community.
🏅 Start life well gold award: Celebrate your excellence
Settings that show sustained commitment to health and well-being can gain our Start Life Well Gold Award.
This award recognises excellent practice across nutrition, movement and oral health, celebrating the dedication your setting shows in supporting well-being for children, staff and families. It demonstrates your strong commitment to children’s long-term health and development, while building trust and support with parents.
The Start Life Well framework guides you through evaluating your strengths, addressing gaps and embedding changes that last. Achieving the award celebrates the setting’s commitment to looking after everyone’s well-being and inspires pride and motivation among staff, reinforcing a shared sense of purpose and achievement.
🚀 Start your PANCo journey today
Discover how becoming a PANCo can change practice within your setting, for the better.
Try our FREE taster course: Get Up To Speed with PANCo
Explore what the role involves, how it can transform children’s outcomes and what it means for your team.
Find out more about:
- Training pathways
- Becoming a PANCo Pioneer
- Access to resources and toolkits
- Practical activities to use right away in your setting.
Together we can build healthier, happier futures for every child.
Similar Articles
Top tips: Supporting new staff
Early years activity: How do I feel
