Early Years Training Academy

It's second term break already and I trust our kids to keep demanding for food constantly this period 😍. Nevertheless one trip we must avoid is stuffing them with unhealthy foods sometimes unintentionally because we do not have a plan or we just exhausted all our options. Right below is a plan we can work it to keep our children filled, healthy and happy 🤩.

Here is a simple Nigerian holiday meal plan for young children (ages 2–10) that is healthy, affordable, filling, and child-friendly 🍲🍌🥚

✅ DAILY FEEDING GUIDE FOR CHILDREN

During holiday, children tend to snack too much, so aim for:

-Breakfast
-Mid-morning fruit/snack
-Lunch
-Evening snack
-Dinner
-Plenty of water

Include these daily:

Protein: egg, beans, fish, chicken, moi moi

Energy food: yam, rice, pap, bread, potatoes, swallow

Vitamins: fruits, vegetables

Healthy fats: groundnut, avocado in moderation

🗓️ 7-DAY HOLIDAY MEAL PLAN

DAY 1 – MONDAY

Breakfast

Pap (ogi/akamu) + milk

1 boiled egg

Small banana

Snack

Watermelon slices

Lunch

Jollof rice

Chicken or fish

Cucumber/carrot sticks

Evening Snack

Homemade popcorn or groundnuts (for older kids only)

Or plain yoghurt

Dinner

Yam porridge with spinach

Fish

DAY 2 – TUESDAY

Breakfast

Bread + egg sauce

Tea or warm milk

Snack

Orange or tangerine

Lunch

Beans + sweet potato

Stew

Small fish

Evening Snack

Banana smoothie or tiger nut drink

Dinner

Eba or semo

Okra soup with fish/meat

DAY 3 – WEDNESDAY

Breakfast

Oatmeal with milk

Sliced pawpaw

Snack

Apple or pear

Lunch

White rice + vegetable stew

Boiled egg or chicken

Evening Snack

Chin chin (small portion) + fruit

Dinner

Spaghetti with vegetables

Fish or meatballs

DAY 4 – THURSDAY

Breakfast

Yam + scrambled egg

Milo/tea or warm milk

Snack

Coconut pieces + banana

Lunch

Beans porridge with plantain

Fish

Evening Snack

Yoghurt + sliced fruit

Dinner

Amala or pounded yam

Ewedu/gbegiri with stew and fish

DAY 5 – FRIDAY

Breakfast

Moi moi + custard

Orange slices

Snack

Groundnut + banana

Lunch

Fried rice with vegetables

Chicken or fish

Evening Snack

Homemade fruit juice + crackers

Dinner

Irish potato porridge with carrots and fish

DAY 6 – SATURDAY

Breakfast

Pancake or akara + pap

Fruit slices

Snack

Pawpaw or mango (in season)

Lunch

Ofada rice or white rice + ayamase/mild stew

Egg or fish

Evening Snack

Smoothie (banana + milk + oats)

Dinner

Noodles with egg and vegetables
(Only occasionally, not every day)

DAY 7 – SUNDAY

Breakfast

Bread + sardine or avocado spread

Tea or milk

Snack

Pineapple or cucumber slices

Lunch

Rice and beans

Stew

Chicken or fish

Evening Snack

Yoghurt or homemade zobo (low sugar)

Dinner

Semovita or eba

Egusi soup with vegetables

🍎 HEALTHY SNACK IDEAS FOR HOLIDAY

Instead of too much biscuits and sweets, give:

Better snack choices:

Banana. Apple. Orange. Pawpaw. Watermelon
Coconut. Groundnut. Boiled corn. Popcorn
Yoghurt. Smoothies. Boiled egg. Moi moi
Sweet potato. Plantain chips (homemade)

🚫 FOODS TO REDUCE DURING HOLIDAY

Children at home often overeat these:

Too much soft drink

Too much biscuit

Excess sweets/chocolate

Too much noodles

Too much sugary cereal

Excess ice cream

Very spicy food

Energy drinks ❌

👶 AGE-SMART TIPS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN

For ages 2–4

Cut food into small pieces

Avoid hard nuts if they may choke

Use less pepper

Give soft fruits

Smaller frequent meals

For ages 5–10

Add more protein

Encourage water after play

Give fruit after meals instead of sweets

Let them help prepare food (they eat better when involved)

💡 SIMPLE NIGERIAN HOLIDAY FEEDING RULE

A good child’s plate should look like this:

½ plate = rice/yam/pasta/beans

¼ plate = protein (egg, fish, chicken, beans)

¼ plate = vegetables/fruits

🛒 EASY WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST

Here is a simple list for the week you can choose from:

Rice. Beans. Yam. Sweet potatoes. Irish potatoes. Spaghetti. Oats. Custard. Pap. Bread
Eggs. Fish. Chicken. Beef. Moi moi ingredients
Yoghurt. Milk. Banana. Orange.Watermelon
Pawpaw. Pineapple. Apple. Spinach/ugu. Okro
Tomatoes. Pepper. Carrots. Cucumber. Onions
Groundnut. Popcorn maize. Crackers. Plantain
Avocado

⭐ BEST PRACTICAL HOLIDAY TIPS FOR NIGERIAN MUMS

Cook in larger batches

Keep boiled eggs ready

Wash and cut fruits ahead

Make homemade juice instead of soda

Avoid children “grazing” all day without real meals

Set snack times so they don’t skip lunch/dinner

I hope this will help. 💯❤🌹

UPDATES ON EYFS SAFEGUARDING REQUIREMENTS.

EYFS 2025, with just 4 months to go before this comes into place on the 1st September.

Thoughts:

What can nursery schools in Nigeria learn from this or implement for better practice ?? Let's get talking....