Search for a preschool meal plan and you'll find plenty of menus written for other countries. This one is built for Singapore: a week of sample meals for children aged 3 to 6, using foods from the wet market and the supermarket, and based on the Health Promotion Board's (HPB) My Healthy Plate. Use it as a starting point, not a rulebook. Every child's appetite is different.
How to use this preschool meal plan
HPB's guide for preschoolers suggests using a child-sized plate rather than an adult's, and filling it like this:
- Half the plate: vegetables and fruit
- A quarter: wholegrains, such as brown rice, wholemeal bread or wholegrain noodles
- A quarter: meat and others, such as fish, chicken, eggs, tofu or beans
Children's portions are smaller than the adult servings HPB uses to describe food, so start small and let your child ask for more. Each day in the plan has three meals and two snacks, so there's something to eat every few hours. Water is the everyday drink: HPB suggests 6 to 8 glasses a day for children aged four to five, offered often.
Calcium for 3 to 6-year-olds: 600mg a day
HPB's Recommended Dietary Allowances set calcium at 500mg a day for children aged 1 to 3, and 600mg a day for ages 4 to 6. Calcium contributes to the normal growth and development of bone in children, so the plan includes a calcium-rich food at most meals. These are some of the local foods HPB lists as calcium sources (adult servings; a child's portion is usually smaller):
| Food | Serving | Calcium |
|---|---|---|
| Full-cream milk | 1 glass (250ml) | 300mg |
| Low-fat yoghurt | 1 carton (150g) | 240mg |
| Low-fat cheese | 1 slice (20g) | 200mg |
| Dried ikan bilis, with bones | 2 tablespoons (40g) | 270mg |
| Tau kwa | 1 small cake (90g) | 150mg |
| Kai lan, cooked | ¾ mug (100g) | 195mg |
| High-calcium soybean milk | 1 glass (250ml) | 500mg |
Source: Health Promotion Board, "Daily Calcium Intake for Greater Bone Strength" (HealthHub).
A 7-day preschool meal plan for Singapore families
Each day follows My Healthy Plate and uses local favourites such as tau kwa, ikan bilis, kai lan and yoghurt. Swap days around, repeat the ones your child enjoys, and use what's in season. To keep a copy on the fridge, print the plan:
| Day | Breakfast | Morning snack | Lunch | Afternoon snack | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Wholemeal toast with scrambled egg; a glass of milk | Banana | Brown rice, steamed fish and stir-fried kai lan | Plain yoghurt with diced mango | Tau kwa and mixed vegetable stir-fry with brown rice; papaya |
| Tuesday | Oat porridge cooked in milk, with sliced banana | Apple slices | Wholegrain beehoon soup with chicken, carrot and xiao bai cai | A slice of cheese on wholemeal crackers | Brown rice, steamed egg with minced chicken, and spinach soup; orange segments |
| Wednesday | Thosai with dhal | Pear slices | Ikan bilis and tofu soup with brown rice and long beans | A glass of high-calcium soy milk | Wholemeal pasta with minced chicken and tomato sauce; steamed broccoli |
| Thursday | Wholemeal bread with mashed canned sardines (with bones) | Watermelon | Brown rice, chicken and potato stew, and bayam | Plain yoghurt | Brown rice porridge with fish slices and kai lan; papaya |
| Friday | Wholegrain cereal with milk | Banana | Yong tau foo in clear soup, with tofu and leafy vegetables, and brown rice | Corn kernels and cucumber sticks | Wholemeal chapati with mild chicken curry; orange segments |
| Saturday | Steamed egg with wholemeal bread; a glass of milk | Mango cubes | Brown rice, steamed salmon, stir-fried broccoli and carrot | Fruit popsicle made from blended fruit | Tau kwa with minced chicken and spring onion, brown rice and xiao bai cai soup |
| Sunday | Wholemeal pancakes with sliced strawberries; a glass of milk | Apple slices | Wholegrain noodle soup with fish slices and bok choy | Cheese cubes and cucumber sticks | Brown rice, lotus root soup with chicken, and stir-fried long beans; pear slices |
Sample menus only. Cut food into small, soft pieces for younger children, check fish for bones, and leave out anything your child is allergic to or can't have.
Cooking for small appetites
HPB suggests steaming, boiling, stir-frying or grilling with less oil, salt and sugar, and flavouring food with a little garlic, herbs or spices instead. Choose lean meat and remove the skin and visible fat from chicken. When you shop, the Healthier Choice Symbol is a quick guide.
Tips for picky eaters
- Keep offering. HPB notes that a food refused one day may be accepted the next. Try it again in a different form: mashed, stirred into porridge, or shaped into a patty.
- Serve small portions, or let your child serve themselves, and offer more vegetables first if they're still hungry.
- Don't cook a separate meal if the family meal is refused. If your child hasn't eaten after about 30 minutes, it's fine to clear the table calmly.
- Keep mealtimes free of TV and games, and eat together when you can. Children copy what they see.
- Let them help: washing vegetables, measuring ingredients or choosing fruit at the market.
- Don't use food as a reward or a punishment.
- Make fruit fun: popsicles made from real fruit, or frozen bananas blended into a soft "ice cream".
Drinks: water first
Water is the drink HPB recommends for young children; a slice of lemon or cucumber can make it more interesting. If you give fruit juice, HPB suggests 100% juice with no added sugar, no more than one small cup (125ml) a day. Whole fruit is preferred.
Where a children's supplement fits
Food comes first, and a varied diet built on My Healthy Plate is the foundation. Food supplements should complement, not replace, a balanced diet. Some parents consider one when a child is a fussy eater or doesn't drink milk.
- Liquid Calcium 1–6: 300mg calcium citrate with vitamins D3 and K2 in a ready-to-drink 15ml sachet, strawberry flavour. Suitable from age 1. Taken 30 minutes after dinner, or an hour before bed.
- Liquid Lutein 1–6: 5mg FloraGLO® lutein with zeaxanthin in a 15ml sachet, taken 30 minutes after breakfast. Suitable from age 1.
For the nutrients children aged 1 to 6 need at each age, see our guide to nutrition for preschoolers in Singapore.