Australian of the Year’s new way to stop preschoolers’ eating disorders

A world-first program is being aimed at Australian children as young as three to develop good relationships with their bodies and avoid eating disorders.

Preschoolers will be taught a song about how to love their bodies to prevent eating disorders and mental health issues later in life.

Body positivity advocate and Australian of the Year Taryn Brumfitt is behind a world-first program Body Blocks by Embrace Kid, aimed at helping young children develop good relationships with their bodies, food and movement.

Preschoolers will be encouraged to learn a song that celebrates what their bodies can do, rather than what it looks like.

Joey Bowman, two, and Hugo Shannon, three, enjoy eating healthy foods. Picture: NCA NewsWIRE / Emma Brasier

Lines from the song include, “I’m grateful for my heart filling me with kindness”, “Please don’t compare me to someone else”, Embrace your body, everybody, love yourself” and “I’m gonna embrace my body, I’ve only got one”.

Australian research has found those aged three to five already have negative attitudes towards larger bodies, and preferences for thin bodies.

And more than one in three three-year-olds would like to have a different body, fuelling fears that children who have internalised these ideas at this age may be more likely to develop disordered eating or have mental health issues.

Ms Brumfitt, who was made Australian of the Year for her work on body image, helped develop the program.

“Body image is so often assumed to be an issue that only affects adolescents, but it’s impacting our children at a younger and younger age,” Ms Brumfitt said.

“We know that childhood is a critical period for shaping attitudes and behaviours, so we need to get in early and help them build the foundations for a lifelong positive relationship with their bodies.”

Taryn Brumfitt, Australian of the Year 2023, has launched a national program to help preschoolers from developing body image issues later in life. Supplied,

Ms Brumfitt fronts The Embrace Collective, a charity which empowers young people to grow free from feelings of Judgement and shame about their bodies.

Colleague Dr Zali Yager and other experts, helped develop the preschoolers program called Body Blocks by Embrace Kids.

Educators are encouraged to tap into the free resources which include posters that can be put up in the classroom, a book, and a song the children can learn, to promote positive body image.

But a large part of the program is designed to educate adults about the language they use around young children.

Dr Yager, who also works for the charity, said it’s not it’s not about giving preschoolers activities to support body appreciation.

The world first program will help preschoolers with body image. Picture: NCA NewsWIRE / Emma Brasier

“It’s about how we as the adults around them talk about food and movement and bodies – kids are little sponges who absorb everything around them,” Dr Yager said.

Pediatric dietitian Dr Lyza Norton and a team of body image experts based on the latest research, including the research that informed the Confident Body, Confident Child program led by Dr Laura Hart from The University of Melbourne, also helped develop the program.

Body Blocks by Embrace Kids is one of nine initiatives funded by the Albanese Government as part of the Embrace Kids Australia package.

Early childhood educators can sign up at bodyimageresources.com to access the content.

Originally published as Australian of the Year’s new way to stop preschoolers’ eating disorders