Learning Resources 3 Realistic-Looking Baskets of Nutritious Mealtime Food
2/16/2024 0 Comments (//www.experientiallearningdepot.com/experiential-learning-blog/10-quality-nutrition-and-health-project-ideas-for-high-school-students#comments) To provide innovative educational resources for educators, parents, and students, that go beyond lecture and worksheets. Sara Segar, experiential life-science educator and advisor, curriculum writer, and mother of two​. 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Through play, play is one of the most effective ways to explore nutritional activities. Here are 16 Healthy Eating Activities for Kids that will help them explore fruits, vegetables and other food groups. All of these activities come from a play-based learning approach and the kids will learn and become familiar with healthy food, without the need for fighting over dinner time. Disclosure: Some of the links provided in this blog are affiliate links. I will be paid a commission if you use this link to make a purchase. Healthy eating for kids is one of the common struggles of being a parent. Every parent has had to fight with their kids about eating their fruit and vegetables. This Fruit Stamp Art is one kids art idea that will help toddlers and preschoolers learn about all the different fruits and vegetables that they’ll see on their plates. Nutrition activities for kids can also help your kids to learn new skills and concepts. Here your kids can learn about shapes and build 3D structures using fruit and vegetables. Digging in the veggie patch with kids isn’t always possible, after all, you have to wait for the food to grow before you can pick it. This Vegetable Garden Sensory Bin is a fantastic alternative. Toddlers and preschoolers can dig up and cook these vegetables again and again. Looking for a fun activity to add to any health or nutrition theme. Try these printable fruit cards and nutrition activities, perfect for preschool classrooms. Use these free printable lacing cards to help your toddlers and preschoolers develop fine motor skills, and learn all about vegetables at the same time. Make sure to add these to your list of Healthy eating activities for kids. Did you know that certain fruits have enzymes that when mixed with gelatin they prevent it from setting. Read the side of the package the next time you make jello (jelly) and see how they tell you not to include some fruits when making it. This science activity will show you why. Use this free printable along with either real vegetables, or pretend play food to practice sorting vegetables by the number of syllables. Preschoolers and kindergartners will love learning syllables with this fun play idea. Healthy eating for kids doesn’t have to be fancy or difficult. These free Montessori-inspired fruit and vegetable cutting strips are an instant download that will still help kids develop essential life skills. Plant the vegetables in the vegetable garden. This free printable is also a fantastic fine motor activity for toddlers and preschoolers, which will help them learn about where nutritious food comes from. Explore the different parts of some fruits and vegetables and see what parts really makes up the whole. This is a great way to explore new or unusual fruits and vegetables with your kids. Use fresh fruits and vegetables to practice counting, comparing, sorting as well as vocabulary, and language skills. This free printable pack contains 5 different games that help preschoolers learn all about healthy eating and food choices. This is great for both classrooms and at home with your own children. Use vegetables to create art. Healthy eating activities for kids is all about being hands on and fun. This art idea does all of that. Set up a vegetable stand and go shopping with the kids. This is a great way to talk about ways to create a healthy shopping list and how to avoid impulse buying treat food. Use colorful craft paper to make these beautiful fruit art ideas. These will look wonderful on a “fruit salad” display on the classroom wall. How many fruits are on the card. Learn some math and fine motor skills along with your other healthy food activities. Are you going to try any of these Healthy Eating Activities for Kids? Don’t forget to pin the idea for later. 25 Weather Activities for Kids 25 Colors Crafts and Activities for Kids 25 Shape Activities for Kids Image: MomJunction Design Team The kitchen can be a mysterious and intriguing space for children. Exposing your little one to the kitchen allows them to channel their curiosity into learning a useful new skill–cooking. However, substituting real food with the best play foods for kids can make the experience one of endless fun. This way, you don’t have to worry about them mistaking their dinner for a plaything. Play foods keep little ones busy while satisfying their desire to prepare food. They can pretend-play to their heart’s content without any messes to clean up after. Gradually, you could get them to help around the kitchen as well. Here, we list some parent-recommended and best-selling play food options that can spark children’s interest in the kitchen and teach them the fundamentals of cooking. Next, we give you a list of the best toy foods that you can consider for your child. Why We Think It's Worth Buying The product has earned its stripes, with over 15,146 reviews on Amazon. Before your child helps you out with real cookie baking, let them practice their skills with this durable toy designed to stand the test of time. Not sure if this is the right game for you? Check out this review video to know more about this interactive play food set. Why We Think It's Worth Buying Over 12,394 Amazon shoppers have left good reviews about this product, citing its quality features and benefits. This plastic toy food set is a tried-and-trusted way to introduce your child to fruits and vegetables. Here’s a video by a reviewer demonstrating exactly how easy it is to use this healthy eating play food set every day. Why We Think It's Worth Buying Do not miss out on this product that has earned 13,516 positive reviews on Amazon. If there is anything that can be more exciting than ice cream, it is an ice cream cart. This product testing and review video will tell you more about the ice cream cart so you can make an informed choice. If your child has a sweet tooth , this tried-and-tested toy might be for them. The set includes toy ice cream scoops, sprinkles, syrup bottles, ice cream swirls, a banana, sugar cones, and more. "My daughter loves playing with this set, and I am regularly invited to her pretend dessert shop. I am pleased with the scoop function, but the ice cream cones seem slightly flimsy. Still, I feel it is a durable set that sparks creativity." Let your child start their very own toy pizza store with this wooden pizza party play food set. "Although on the heavier side, the thoughtful design, including Velcro attachments on the pieces, has made this toy pizza set simple for tiny hands to maneuver. It has also been durable enough to survive multiple falls." Here’s a tried-and-tested toy pie that can store an assortment of colorful fruits and vegetables. This variety play food set features vibrant colors and can keep your child engaged for hours. "This vegetable sorting toy has helped my son work on his color recognition and counting skills. However, I had to laminate the paper components to enhance their durability. Nevertheless, the sturdy construction has kept the set going." This plastic toy food set includes an assortment of fruits and vegetables and an adorable tote bag to carry the pretend groceries. "The variety of realistic-looking produce in this set has made it easy for me to teach my little ones the names of fruits and vegetables. Plus, the included tote has been great for storing them." These toy foods from the trusted brand Melisa & Doug can help your child understand food groups better. The toy food set comes with 21 pieces of wooden toy foods and four wooden crates to store the toys. The toys in this wooden play food set are divided into four food groups: fruits and vegetables, meat, grains, and dairy. Each of the four durable crates holds food pieces of a specific category. "Adding this wooden food set to my little one’s toy kitchen has made his playtime even more fun. Its pieces are very durable, and the size is perfect for his small hands. All in all, they have been a good alternative to the plastic versions." This 115-piece toy food set has everything, from carrots to cupcakes, to provide your child with endless fun and play possibilities. "What I love the most about this set is it has improved my children's relationship with food. They learn a lot about different vegetables and fruits through imaginative play, which is a plus. The strong plastic makes it apt for little hands to play with. Some pieces have simpler colors, but the details make up for it. Recommended!" Let your child have their very own barbecue within the safety of their room with this BBQ grill play food set. Child bothering you when you prepare breakfast? Get them this breakfast-time play food and kitchen accessory set, and let them make their own breakfast toast every day. Fruits in this parent-recommended wooden toy food toy set can be sliced to provide an excellent pretend-play experience. What can make a party more exciting? A wooden birthday party cake with candles! This colorful dessert party play food set also doubles as a good tool for cognitive development. "My kids love to host tea parties and pretend bake sales with these cupcakes. The fun, bright colors have added to their charm and made the set my children's favorite." This gourmet play food set is likely to cover nearly all of your child’s favorite foods and grocery items. "This food set has brought much joy to my little ones, sparking their creativity in cooking and shopping games. It is a fantastic tool for learning sorting by color, size, and type of food. However, as it contains small items, supervision is important. It is great for imaginative playtimes; go for it." Toy foods for kids are replicas of food and grocery items such as vegetables, snacks, and beverages used for pretend play. The American Academy of Pediatrics states, “playing and pretending allow your child to learn and grow” (1) . Simple pretend-play like drinking from an empty cup is one of the activities recommended by the academy (2) . Pretend play using toy foods can help children understand various foods, create an interest in fruits and vegetables and the benefits they offer. It can also improve the children’s table manners and etiquette. These toys can also be used as props to introduce little ones to the basics of nutrition. Heather Welch , mom, play advocate, educator, and developer of educational toys says, “Pretend play helps improve children’s language and social skills and sparks their creativity and imagination. With quality play food sets, they can pretend to be a chef, shopkeeper, farmer, cafe owner, host of a dinner party, and so much more. Make sure the toy is safe and devoid of tiny parts. You should also let them understand what is pretend food and what is real food.” When shopping for toy food for kids, consider the following points to ease your selection process. 1. What age is play foods best for? Play food sets are ideal for most toddlers between the ages of two and five years. 2. Are play foods worth it? Yes, they are great props for their pretend-play sessions. These toy sets can also inculcate in your child an interest in healthy foods at an early age, thus making them less fussy and picky about foods as they grow older. 3. Are play foods Montessori-based? It depends on the play set you select. For instance, if a play set encourages independent hands-on learning in the form of segregating foods based on color, it could be considered Montessori-based in a broad sense. 4. When should children stop playing with play food sets? It’s okay to stop playing with food toys by the age of five or six years, as this is when most children experience a gradual decline in food neophobia–fear of new foods (1) . Many children love to participate in preparing food but seldom get a chance. So to encourage pretend-play, our experienced writer and reviewer of children’s toys, Priti Bose, brings you a list of the best play food sets for kids. She has explored the product descriptions and user reviews of several items before sorting out the safe and kid-friendly options. Go through the buying guide to select the one your little one would love to play with. Toy foods and play food sets allow children to learn more about the meals they eat, where the food comes from, and the effort that goes into bringing the food to the table. These toys also help children learn essential kitchen skills, kitchen safety measures, and table manners. Using toy knives, spoons, and forks can also improve your child’s fine motor skills and pincer grasp. You may choose the Melissa & Doug Slice-and-Bake Wooden Cookie Play Food to engage your children in pretend play, the LeapFrog Scoop & Learn Ice Cream Cart for its interactive features, and the Learning Resources Fresh Picked Fruit & Veggie Tote to introduce them to fruits and vegetables. Pick the best play food sets for kids from this elaborate and curated list. Food sets are ideal for enhancing imaginative play, be it a toddler, preschooler, or older child. However, choosing a suitable one might be challenging while keeping your child’s interests and age in mind. So, consider the below infographic to learn more about the factors in detail. Illustration: Momjunction Design Team 1. Playing is How Toddlers Learn ; American Academy of Pediatrics 2. The Power of Play – How Fun and Games Help Children Thrive ; American Academy of Pediatrics 3. The Importance of Role Play for Children’s Development of Socio-Emotional Competencies ; Lumen Research Center in Social and Humanistic Sciences Join the conversation and become a part of our nurturing community! Share your stories, experiences, and insights to connect with fellow parents. *Today’s guest blog post is by the authors of the practical new book Meaningful Mealtimes — Yev Veverka, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Susan A. Ramage, R.N., M.N., Christy Baker, OTR/L, CLE , Kelsey Milne, M.S., & Emilie Dupont, M.Ed. Mealtimes are a great opportunity to foster social connections, teach new skills, and introduce children to a variety of foods.