Here are some great activities to do with children to help teach them about healthy food.
Exploring New Foods
Learning Outcome:
Children are able to identify and taste new foods, experience different textures, and describe how the food ‘feels’ in their mouths
Learning Activity:
Select some foods that may be unfamiliar to the children as well as some that will be familiar.
Look at the foods in their unprepared (raw) state as well as their ready to eat state. Discuss how the new foods might taste, smell and what the texture is like before they taste them.
It is fun after the tasting, to encourage the children to describe how the foods tasted. Some children may like to be blindfolded and try the new foods again without being able to see them.
Food Groups
Learning Outcome:
Children will be able to group foods and discuss the types of foods that make them healthy and strong.
Healthy food can be put into groups called the four food groups. By eating some foods from each of the four food groups each day, we can all get enough food for energy and growth.
Learning Activity:
Encourage children to name foods from each of the four food groups.
You may like to find pictures of foods that belong in each food group then let the children practise grouping the foods into each of the four food groups.
Helpful Information:
Daily requirements for 2 – 5 year olds:
2-3 servings of milk and milk products
2 servings of fruit and 2 servings of vegetables
4 servings of bread and cereals
1 serving of lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, peas,
beans and lentils.
Daily requirements for 5 – 12 year olds:
2-3 servings of milk and milk products
3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit
5 servings of bread and cereals
1 serving of lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, peas,
beans and lentils.
Foods From Different Cultures
Learning Outcome:
Children will be able to recognise and accept foods from other cultures.
Learning Activity:
It is fun to have a theme looking at the different foods people from different cultures eat. If your centre or school has families from different cultures, ask them if they would like to bring one traditional food along for the children to learn about and taste. To get a wide representation of different cultures you may need to look to your wider community.
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