Play Eat Learn

We all know that food, and particularly nutritious food, enhances our ability to think and act. With our traditional timetable, children would eat and feed their bodies with energy that was used up while playing.

Changing the order to playing first and then eating has shown in international studies to improve children’s ability to pay attention in classrooms. With the ‘Play’ first, children eat more, drink more, and have improved readiness to learn. They are not so inclined to rush their food to get out to play and are calm when eating after playing.

By having the learning immediately following eating, they are more attentive, calm and ready to learn.

Children at Edgecumbe Primary School eat their morning tea from 10.50-11.00am and then eat their lunch between 12.50-1.10pm.

Children are also able to have a healthy snack during the first block (between 8.50 and 10.50am) as it is a long time for some children who have had breakfast early in the morning to last until 10.50am.