Elaboração de um manual de oficinas para o desenvolvimento de hábitos alimentares saudáveis em crianças

Abstract

Introduction: The present work describes the stages of developing a manual of workshops on healthy eating and oral hygiene, designed for children aged 7 to 8 years. The initiative arose from the need to promote healthy habits from childhood, a period of forming eating behaviors that influence lifelong health. Objectives: To develop a manual of educational workshops, with nutritional and odontological approaches, that can be replicated with children aged 7 to 8 years, aiming to develop healthier eating habits and more effective oral hygiene. The manual is intended to serve as a guide for health and education professionals to replicate the workshops with school-aged children, in order to promote quality of life and nutritional well-being in the family and school environments. Methodology: A cycle of 10 educational workshops was conducted with a pilot population of 50 children from a private elementary school in Palmas-TO. The workshops were led by a multiprofessional team and utilized playful and interactive methodologies such as videos, games, experiments, and sensory activities. The themes addressed were defined based on a prior diagnosis of the children's eating habits and interests, using tools such as anamnesis and questionnaires. Results: 10 educational workshops were described, detailing their execution, time, material used, instructions for applying the dynamics, and other information that made the pedagogical moments replicable. The manual was edited and is published in the institutional repository of the Federal University of Tocantins (UFT), with open access, and continues to be disseminated among early childhood education professionals. The experience with the workshop cycle corroborates the scientific literature, which points to the positive impact of playful and participatory approaches on the construction of healthy habits and reinforces the importance of the school and the family as partners in this process. Final Considerations: The work allowed highlighting that health education, when conducted in an interactive and well-planned manner, is a tool capable of attracting children's attention, thereby potentializing the promotion of health and well-being.