Children’s Pictures of a Good and Desirable Meal in Kindergarten — A Participatory Visual Approach

Author
Nyberg, M.
Source
Children & Society, 33(1):471–487.
Year
2019

Purpose

The study investigates kindergarten children’s experiences, thoughts and ideas about what are good and desirable meals in kindergarten. Another purpose is to acquire more knowledge about how best to methodologically proceed in order to identify kindergarten children’s opinions. The primary aim is to develop and improve meals in kindergarten by listening to what the children think a good meal should be.

Result

The results show that the children were concerned that a good meal should be cosy and playful, but that it was also important to focus on rules and good table manners. The children emphasised that in addition to the food, other aspects of the meal were also important, such as what should be on the table and what the room should look like. The researcher behind the project believes that the study shows how participatory visual methods can facilitate children in expressing their opinions about what a good meal in kindergarten should entail. She believes that the method’s strength lies in its ability to create a playful but also flexible and inclusive basis on which to exchange ideas between children and between children and adults. By listening to what the children have to say, their perspectives can also be included in order to gain a better understanding and a better foundation for the development and improvement of meals in kindergarten.

Design

The empirical data was collected in a municipal kindergarten in Copenhagen that was particularly interested in improving the food served to the children. The sample consists of 21 children, 13 girls and eight boys, who were four to six years old at the time of observation. The food in the kindergarten was made in the kindergarten’s own kitchen and served to the children. The study consists of three phases. In the first phase, mealtimes were observed in order for the researchers to get to know the children and the kindergarten’s meal routines. In phase two, the sample was divided into smaller groups where they were asked to draw what they envisaged a good meal in kindergarten was, including what should be on the table and what the room where they ate should look like.  The children were given sheets of paper on which walls, windows and doors were already drawn. In addition, the children were given pre-cut pictures of furniture, crockery and food and drink, as well as crayons, paint and paintbrushes. After the visual activity, the children were placed together in focus groups where they talked about their drawings and what they thought was important to include in a good meal in kindergarten.

References

Nyberg, M. (2019). "Children’s Pictures of a Good and Desirable Meal in Kindergarten — A Participatory Visual Approach". Children & Society, 33(1):471–487.

Financed by

The Copenhagen House of Food, Denmark Marie Sklodowska-Curie individual fellowships for international researchers, EU Mobility for Growth, EU