Introduce yourself. Explain that this short presentation will explain what the National Child Measurement Programme is and how it can help our children, and us, to become healthier. Encourage questions from the audience.

Explain that every year one million Reception and Year 6 children are weighed and measured through the NCMP, which: helps the government to plan and provide better health and leisure services for children gives parents feedback on how their child is developing and gives them a chance to think about any changes they can make to keep them as healthy as possible. It’s a continuation of their child being weighed and measured as a baby, when they had a red book.

Explain that you’re going to run through the Change4Life six top tips.

Tell parents that it’s easier than they think to give their kids five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. For children, one portion is roughly a handful. Give parents one or two facts to think about, such as: Frozen and canned fruit and vegetables count too and it’s very quick to boil some frozen peas or open a can of sweetcorn. A piece of fruit or vegetable can brighten up a lunchbox. Try carrot sticks, baby tomatoes or a banana with a face drawn on the skin.

Tell parents that it’s not just about what we eat but the way we cook it. Give parents a few fat-busting tips: Cut down on snack foods and take-aways as they’re often jam-packed with fat. Try and keep foods like crisps, buns, cakes, pastries and biscuits as occasional treats only. Grilling or baking food can reduce the fat content by as much as two-thirds.

Advise parents to try to cut back gradually and not to cook with salt – use fresh herbs to add flavour instead. Other tips include: When sitting down to eat, taste food first to see if you really need to add salt. Many people add it out of habit. Try to go easy with ketchup, soy sauce, mustard, pickles and mayonnaise – they can all be high in salt. Some cereals can contain a lot of salt, so look out for ones like puffed wheat, wheat biscuits or muesli – all with no salt added. Check the labels to help you choose.

Explain to parents that swapping sugary snacks and drinks for ones that are lower in sugar can make a huge difference to kids’ calorie intake. Not only that, but it’s better for their teeth too. Here are a few ideas on what to swap: Swap to water, semi-skimmed milk (but remember children under 2 need full-fat milk) or diluted fresh fruit juice instead of drinks with added sugar like cola or squash. Switch to snacks like fresh or dried fruit, breadsticks and unsalted nuts instead of sweets or biscuits. Swap to lower sugar cereals, fruit or toast instead of cereals with lots of sugar.

In addition to eating well, we need to move more and encourage our children to become active. Walking to school is a good start. Encourage children to find a sport they enjoy and play it for fun. Dancing is great for exercise too.

Physical activity isn’t just sport – any kind of exercise counts from walking the dog to dancing to mowing the lawn. Children are much more likely to become active if they see their parents being active. Again, mention that there are lots of ideas for fun ways to get moving on the Change4Life website.

Run through basic information about food labels Run through basic information about food labels. The key message is: choose more greens and ambers and fewer reds. Even though they’re growing, it’s important to make sure kids get just the right amount for their age – not too little and not too much. So here are a few tips to make sure they’re getting the right sized portions. Remember that kids are smaller than adults. That means they should have a portion that matches their size – it shouldn’t be the same amount of food as you will eat. It’s also healthier to give a smaller portion to begin with, and then give them more if they say they’re still hungry.

Parents can search for ‘Change4Life’ to find the website and lots more information. Invite questions to finish the session.