BETLS Observation Tool

BETLS is an acronym for behaviour, emotions, thoughts, learning and social relationships.

The BETLS Observation Tool is a template for gathering and documenting information and observations about a child or young person.

Observations should:

focus only on what you actually see and hear, rather than what you think about a child or young person’s behaviours, emotions and thoughts
take note of when, where and how often a child or young person is showing a particular behaviour or emotion
notice what makes the child or young person’s experience worse and what makes it better
record how long the behaviour or emotion occurs (for example, if you’re concerned about a child or young person’s outbursts, take note of how long they last)
notice what happens before and after the behaviour that is a concern
be recorded by different people and in different situations during the day.

This template also provides a space to reflect on a child or young person’s experiences. It allows you to note their thoughts about a situation, and any other additional information that could be playing a role in their behaviour or mood.

Download the BETLS Observation Tool [PDF, 196 KB]

The BETLS Observation Tool can support your use of the Mental Health Continuum.

Introducing new foods to children

While ‘fussy eating’ or refusing foods is normal for children, it can present challenges for cooks a

In fact, being wary of trying new things is a part of healthy growth for young children.

Up to 50% of all 0-3 year old children refuse to eat new and different foods at least half the time.

1. Carer provides, child decides

Children and their carers (including educators and parents) have different responsibilities around promoting and providing foods and drinks to children.

Your responsibilities when teaching and providing food to children are:

what foods children are exposed to, and what is on the menu
when the children eat, and how often (e.g. offering meals every 2-3 hours)
where the children eat and the mealtime environment.

The child is responsible for how much they choose to eat, and whether or not they try something new. If you provide a safe, nutritious, positive and supportive eating environment, children will decide what, and how much, they eat.

2. Repeated exposure

Repeated exposure helps make the food more familiar and reduce fear or aversion.

A child may need to be exposed to a food 10 or more times before they feel comfortable with it. Even then, they still might not enjoy eating it – even adults don’t like everything!

You can expose children to new foods by engaging all of their senses, such as putting the food to their lips but not tasting it, or looking at it and discussing it. Here are a few ways to engage their senses:

Sight: What does it look like? How big is it? What shape and colour is it?
Smell: What does the food smell like? Is it sweet or fruity?
Touch: What does the food feel like? Is it smooth, rough, spiky, or fuzzy? Does it feel different in your hands than it does on your lips, or your tongue?
Taste: What does it taste like? Is it sweet or sour?
Sound: What sound does it make when you take a bite? Is it crunchy?

Focus on introducing one food at a time. For example, if you want to add pumpkin and chickpea risotto to the menu, plan activities that expose children to any ingredients that might be new to them. You could focus on the pumpkin first, then move onto chickpeas.

3. Healthy eating activities

Games and activities are a great way to teach children about food and healthy eating while having fun at the same time. Play-based learning helps support children’s development across many areas such as physical, social, emotional and intellectual.