by Lisa Putnam

Created on: December 22, 2009   Last Updated: December 23, 2009

According to the USDA, only 2 percent of children eat the recommended daily serving from the MyPyramid Five Food groups and more than half of young children ages 2 - 8 do not get the 3-A-Day of Dairy servings recommended for Americans.  There are many different reasons ranging from child pickiness to parental ignorance, but research shows that when a child eats a well-balanced diet they have fewer behavior problems and have better school attendance.  Most teachers think of educating children on nutrition as a parental responsibility but teachers are role models too; especially preschool teachers who often spend all day with with their "kids".

Teaching preschoolers about nutrition doesn't mean dragging out a dusty book and lecturing about dry materials the kids will not understand or be interested in.  The following fun and yummy activities are split up into five main sections which will fit perfectly with a five day preschool program with a weekly theme of nutrition.


Fun With Food Groups

Reading Time
Read a picture book to the preschoolers that talk about the different food groups in an engaging and easily understandable way.  Rex Barron’s Showdown at The Food Pyramid is an entertaining introduction to the different food groups.  While the different foods battle out who is going to be eaten the most, the reader learns what it means to have a balanced diet.

Reading Time Activity
Food Groups
Materials:
Large Poster Board or 5 Multi-Colored Pieces of Construction Paper
Glue Stick
Food Pictures of the Five Food Groups, cut out of magazines, books, or online
Preparation:
Label the 5 different food groups on the paper.  You should include grains, meats and nuts, vegetables, fruit, and dairy.
Instructions:
Throw the entire cut out food into a large hat and shake it up.
Let the children take turns drawing a picture from the hat and putting the food in the right spot.

(Non) Cooking Activity
This healthy and tasty snack is also fun to make!
Ants on a Log
Materials:
Celery Sticks
Peanut Butter or Whipped Cream Cheese
Raisins
Preparation:
Clean and cut celery into sticks.
Instructions:
Give each child a couple of celery sticks, a plastic knife, and a pile of raisins.
Let them spread their peanut butter or cream cheese on the log and then add the “ants”.
Eat!


Where Does Food Come From?

Reading Time
Ask a group of young children where they think food comes from and you are sure to get a lot of different answers!  Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert

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