Nutrition is a fun theme for preschoolers especially if you have some picky eaters. In an effort to get children to eat a more balanced diet, listed below are some preschool activities focusing on fruits and vegetables.
Menu:
- Have the children help prepare smoothies by pealing bananas and putting fruit in the blender.
- Make banana splits with the children using frozen yogurt, bananas, pineapples, and whole grain cereal.
Arts & Crafts:
- Print some coloring pages featuring fruits and vegetables.
- Draw or print a large letter "F" and/or large letter "V". Have pictures of fruits and vegetables, as well as, other foods. Ask the children to locate pictures of fruit and glue those to the letter "F" and/or find pictures of vegetables and glue those to the letter "V".
- Create menus with pictures (cut from magazines) of healthy foods that can be used in your dramatic play restaurant.
- Make place mats that can also be used in your dramatic play restaurant.
Math & Science:
- Use pictures of fruits & vegetables or toy food and ask the children to sort the food. One pile or bin for fruit, and one for vegetables.
- Create Bingo cards or print them on the computer and play fruits & vegetables Bingo.
- Play the game Memory using fruit & vegetable cards. You can make Memory cards using clip art at KidzClub.
- Create recipe cards with pictures for baking or cooking with the children.
- Have some fun at snack time by putting 2 or 3 cups in front of the children face down, then hide pieces of fruits or vegetables under one cup and have the children guess which cup the food is under. You can also have different colored cups and give hints to help them figure out which cup the food is hiding under.
- At snack time have the children practice counting pieces of fruits and vegetables. You can also use muffin tins or bowls and have the children sort the fruits and vegetables.
- Ask the children what their favorite fruit and/or vegetable is. Create a graph that shows everyones favorite. Then count how many people like broccoli the best and how many people like carrots the best.
Dramatic Play:
- Turn your dramatic play area into a child friendly restaurant with menus that the children created. Have tables setup with dishes and utensils. Hang pictures of fruits and vegetables on the walls. Have dress up clothes like aprons and chef's clothes for the children to use. You can have play money so that the children can pay the bill and leave a tip.
Music & Movement:
- Sing Apples & Bananas
Field Trips:
- Visit some child friendly restaurants such as Sweet Tomatoes Pizza with locations in Newton Centre, West Newton, and Needham. Discuss the pizza options with the children. Ask them what they would like to order. Play a game by telling the children that you would like to have something yellow on your pizza or something green. Have them guess what you would like that is yellow or green.
Books:
- Green Eggs & Ham by Dr. Seuss
- Eat Your Peas, Louise, by Pegeen Snow
- The ABC's of Fruits and Vegetables and Beyond by Steven Charney
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