WIC Works Resource System
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Parents and Caregivers Can Help Prevent Obesity and Support Healthy Growth
September is National Childhood Obesity Month (available in Spanish). Sponsored by the CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, this observance provides an opportunity to learn more about this major public health problem.
According to the CDC, the goal for children who are overweight is to reduce the rate of weight gain while allowing normal growth and development.
Learn more by visiting their Tips to Help Children Maintain a Healthy Weight page (available in Spanish).
Education Resources and Recipes
Physical Activity
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends children aged 3 through 5 years be physically active throughout each day. Find ways to help make physical activity a part of a child's life by visiting CDC's interactive Move Your Way tool (available in Spanish). It’s also important to encourage less screen time. To get more information and tips, visit the interactive Screen Time vs. Lean Time Infographic.
Looking for more resources to help promote physical activity? Visit the Physical Fitness and Sports Month observance page to find links to interactive tools, posters, videos, fact sheets, infographics, and more!
Healthy Eating and Recipes
WIC staff can encourage healthier eating by sharing Kids' Corner from Nutrition.gov, which includes many resources such as links to creative and fun activity sheets (Snack Shack Challenge and Grocery Bingo) for printing and sharing. There are also digital resources like videos, reading activities, interactive games, and recipes.
Help parents get their children on the path to healthy eating and active play with tips from MyPlate with life stages information for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Encourage caregivers to use the MyPlate Alexa skill, a digital tool for parents and caregivers of infants and toddlers ages 4 – 24 months. The tool, similar to a smartphone app, provides nutrition information on what and how to feed children based on their age.
Looking for more recipes? The WIC Meals of the Month series has loads of recipes (using WIC foods) with steps perfect for little helpers. MyPlate Kitchen offers recipes, recipe videos, and other related resources, and SNAP-Ed’s seasonal product guide highlights recipes using in-season fruits and veggies.
MyPlate has infographics for printing and posting the Share the MyPlate app and infographics to help build healthy eating habits one goal at a time!
Updated: December 2022
