It can be a challenge to teach young children healthy eating habits, but with fun games to play, engaging songs to sing, and other preschool nutrition activities, young children can easily learn about the foods that help the body grow.
Practice Sorting with Food Groups
There is no better way to introduce healthy food options to young children than playful activities. For instance, grab a basket of play food from the classroom kitchen area for the students to sort by food group. Talk about what foods go into which food groups and have the children guess what other foods might be included. Use colorful food group mini-posters found in the Nutrition Unit for Preschoolers. Pass out the play food (or food cards from the Nutrition unit if play food isn’t available) and then hold up a food group mini poster and see who has food to match that group. The 10-day plans for this unit include activities about food groups such as:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Grains
- Protein
- Dairy
- Sweats & Treats
Preschool Nutrition Activities – Songs
Circle time is a great time to sing and move to songs about nutrition. Sing “Healthy Choices” to the tune of “Where is Thumbkin?” and encourage the students to hold up matching cards when the food group is called. Song and movement are great ways to get preschoolers involved in the learning process.
Preschool Nutrition Activities – Counting Practice
Learning to use one-to-one correspondence is an integral preschool skill. Students need to understand that one number is assigned for each item they count. Incorporating authentic opportunities for counting and comparing numbers is easy when using these counting file folder games. Students can count and compare chocolate chips and pair them with the matching numbered cookie jar. Opportunities for number and number sense practice can be offered by using words like:
- How many
- In all
- More
- Fewer
- Same
Nutrition Unit for Preschoolers
Nutrition Preschool Unit
$12.00Healthy Kids are Happy Kids! This Nutrition Preschool Unit is the perfect way to introduce your preschoolers to food groups and good health. The unit includes complete lesson plans for 10 days of circle time, as well as additional literacy and math centers. All of the planning is done to make your life easier!
Extending the Learning
Once the students are familiar with the food groups, they are ready to put them into action. Interactive bulletin boards are a great way to put a student’s knowledge to the test. A bulletin board gives the students opportunities to talk with each other and discuss what foods they think are healthy. Labeling the bulletin board with the headings provided on day 10 of the Nutrition Unit for Preschoolers brings an added element of literacy to an already integrated lesson.
Reading in the Classroom
There are so many excellent books written with nutrition in mind. A favorite is Gregory the Terrible Eater by Mitchell Sharmat. In this story, Gregory the Goat likes to eat fruits and vegetables and other (by his parents’ estimation) terrible foods. His parents try to convince him that he should eat more like a goat — shoelaces, cardboard boxes, and old rubber tires. Students find this hilarious!! Check out this and other Fabulous Food Books to read in the classroom.
Foundational Skills Taught
Several foundational skills for health and physical development can be taught during this unit. Skills covered include:
- Identifying foods and the food groups they belong to such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, and grains
- Distiguishing food and beverages on a scale from healthy to not so healthy
- Understanding that eating a variety of fresh fruits, vegatables, and lean meats helps the body grow
Put it All Together
There are so many opportunities to teach children about healthy eating habits. There is something for everyone, from reading engaging stories to sorting foods into groups and singing songs about healthy choices. Dive in and use these engaging preschool nutrition activities to teach children healthy food habits that will last a lifetime!
Check out these trusted sources for more information on children’s nutrition:
- Mayo Clinic
- USDA MyPlate– Preschoolers
- USDA Nutrition.gov
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