healthy end-of-year celebrations for early childhood services.

The festive season is fast approaching and it’s time to start planning end-of-year celebrations at your early childhood service. Celebrations are a great opportunity to connect with children, families and early childhood service staff to reflect on all the achievements throughout the year.  

Food is an important element of celebrations, bringing communities together through the sharing of culture and tradition. So, how can you support healthy and joyful end-of-year celebration at your early childhood service? Below are our best tips to support healthier events, whether you’re hosting a large gathering or a casual bring-a-plate day. 

Add colour with fruits and vegetables  

For extra fun cut them into festive shapes such as stars and circles using cookie cutters.

Some delicious options for children include: 

• Fruit kebabs  
• Mixed melon ball salad (made with watermelon, rock melon and cantaloupe – you’ll need a melon baller to scoop some perfect spheres) 
• Rainbow vegetable sticks with hummus or yoghurt dip  
• Wholemeal wraps with salad (cut and served sliced side up so you can see all the colours)  

And for the adults try these tasty fruit and vegetable ideas: 

• Fruit platter 
• Pasta or rice salad with fresh veggies (e.g. capsicum, snow peas, cucumbers, spinach, red onion) 
• Bruschetta  
• Vegetable and chicken or tofu rice paper rolls (the more veggies, the more colourful!) 

Choose fresh savoury options  

Some easy to prepare options include: 

• Chicken and vegetable skewers 
• Corn on the cob 
• Veggie quiche 
• Vegetable platter with dips 
• Sushi rolls 

You can find some other healthy celebration food ideas here.

Make water your main festive beverage  

Water can be flavoured with fresh fruit and herbs such as sliced oranges or strawberries and mint to give it a festive flair. 

Play fun and active party games  

Provide fun activities for adults and children to engage with such as: 

• Egg-and-spoon races 
• Obstacle course: Set up a safe, simple course using cones, cushions, hoops or anything else you have in your centre to crawl, jump and balance through 
• Bubble chase: blow bubbles and let children run, pop and catch them 
• Music and dancing: Put on a playlist of your favourite songs. Include some fun ones that the adults can get into as well 
• Decoration making 

Hosting a bring-a-plate event is a wonderful way to share food and bring people together. To help families choose a dish that is both delicious and nourishing, consider these tips below:  

• Choose a feature ingredient such as a fruit, vegetable or piece of lean protein 
• Share a traditional or cultural dish that your children enjoy at home 
• Include an ingredients list or recipe card so others can identify allergens and also recreate the dish at home 

Some crowd pleasing plate ideas include:

• Roasted vegetable salad with spiced chickpeas and yoghurt dressing  
• Vegetable and meat kebabs  
• Whole roasted cauliflower with homemade dipping sauce 
• Fresh garden salad with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing 
• Vegetarian lasagne  
• Chicken rissoles (try recipes that include grated carrot or zucchini in the mix for extra veg)  

You can get children involved by letting them help choose, prepare or cook the dish. This builds their confidence and cooking skills! 

End-of-year celebrations offer a meaningful opportunity to reflect and recognise the achievements of our children. Reward children with extra play, games or free time rather than lollies or sugary treats.