5-6-Year-Olds' Perception of their Mealtime Experience in ECEC Settings:

Analysis of Drawings and Interviews of Children

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify how 5-6-year-old children perceive their mealtimes at their ECEC institutions. 36 children from three institutions participated in this study. Each pair of children were asked to draw their mealtime experience while being interviewed. The content of their drawings were: 1) detail of meal; 2) meal place environment; 3) procedure of mealtime; and 4) their friends. The analysis showed that children, from the institutions where they have school lunch and decide by themselves how much they eat, drew rice, main, side dishes, and soup, which indicates that they recognized clearly what they had eaten. Also the children who participate in preparing meals and tidying up, understood well the procedures of mealtimes. It was suggested that children who show little interest in meals did not produce many drawings needed some support for eating.