by Julie Poole, M. Ed., Connections Manager

 

Food is not only nourishing and delicious—it can be fun too!

Incorporating nutrition education into the early childhood classroom offers a wide range of benefits for young children, including:

• Developing positive relationships with food
• Increasing their intake of fruits and vegetables
• Reducing fear of trying new foods and curbing picky eating
• Building lifelong healthy habits
• Preventing childhood obesity

Engaging strategies to include nutrition activities in your curriculum can be:

• Planning hands-on activities and experiences
• Involving children in the planning process
• Modeling healthy habits yourself
• Encouraging active play
• Incorporating a supplemental health and nutrition curriculum
• Including books about food and nutrition throughout the classroom

Try planning nutrition activities across various learning domains. Here are a few examples to get you started:

Apple Graphing (Math):
Have children taste a variety of apples—Golden Delicious, Fuji, Granny Smith. Discuss which apple each child prefers and create a graph with the results. Which apple was the most popular? The least? Ask questions about the texture and taste, such as which was the crunchiest or the most sour.

Seed Sprouting (Science):
No need to wait for warm weather—start sprouting seeds right in your classroom using dried beans, a damp paper towel, and a plastic bag. Place the setup in sunlight and watch the seeds grow. Observe changes over time and encourage children to draw or write about what they see. Discuss what makes beans healthy—like their protein and fiber content—and even taste different types of beans together.

Wrap the Food (Fine Motor):
Use tin foil to wrap pretend food, helping children strengthen their fine motor skills through this fun and tactile activity.

The possibilities for nutrition-related activities are endless! Be sure to check your state’s early learning standards for additional guidance and ideas.