Good nutrition is an important part of teaching children healthy living habits. Educating children about the four food groups is one way to ensure that they understand the difference between nutritious foods and unhealthy ones. Age-appropriate activities will enhance the learning experience and make learning more fun. Mary Mayesky notes in her book, "Creative Activities for Young Children," that art projects and other hands-on activities will help make the information entertaining and will increase the chances that children will retain the information.
Step 1
Play a sorting game. Gather four large pieces of poster board and label each with one of the four food groups: fruits and vegetables, meats, dairy and grains. Cut out several pictures of food from each of these groups from magazines. Show the children the pictures and discuss which group each food belongs to. Glue it to the appropriate piece of poster board.
Step 2
Play an identification game. Cut a large circle out of a piece of poster board and divide it into four sections, Carol Seefeldt instructs in her book, "Teaching Young Children." Use a brad to attach a piece of poster board cut into a spinner shape into the center of the circle. Label each section with one of the four food groups. Encourage each child to spin the spinner and then list one food from the group the spinner lands on. Talk about why it fits into that group.
Step 3
Assign an individual activity. Show children how to fold a piece of 11x14-inch white paper into fourths. Have them write the name of one food group in each square. Provide magazines, scissors and glue and instruct the children to cut out different foods and glue them in the corresponding box on their paper. Allow the children to share their work when the activity is over.
Step 4
Have a food groups taste test. Break the children into four groups and assign a food group to each one. Tell the students to choose a food from their group and bring enough for each student to sample a taste of each food. Discuss which group each food belongs to as they are sampled.
Tips and Warnings
- Check nutrition websites for printable materials, such as coloring pages, to further enhance your food group unit.
- Check for food allergies so you can notify students and parents about which foods cannot be shared. Use food magazines or children's magazines to cut pictures out of so children are not exposed to material that is not age appropriate.
Things You'll Need
- Poster board
- Marker
- Magazine pictures of food
- Glue
- Brad
- 11x14-inch white paper
- Scissors
- Magazines
References
- "Creative Activities for Young Children"; Mary Mayesky; 2008
- "Teaching Young Children"; Carol Seefeldt; 1980
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