Children begin to establish food preferences and eating habits early in life. When nutrition education is offered in childcare programs, children gain knowledge and skills to help them make healthy food choices. Enjoying and learning about food in early childhood promotes lifelong nutrition habits.

Young children are naturally drawn to food-related activities. Nutrition education offers opportunities to engage the senses, explore concepts, and learn about new and unfamiliar foods.

Nutrition education also can develop children’s skills in art, language, science, math, social studies, and health, as well as important social skills. For example, when a child counts the carrots on her plate, she is learning about math.

Sharing a book about food develops language skills. Talking about the relationship of milk to strong bones teaches a health concept. When children set the table for lunch, they are learning social skills.

Cooking activities help children learn to follow instructions and complete a project. Cooking activities promote collaboration and cooperation; and also introduce food preparation skills, including measuring, mixing, stirring, and rolling. A fun aspect of cooking activities is that the finished product brings the project to a tasty conclusion!

Planning for Nutrition Education Activities

As you plan nutrition education activities, make sure learning objectives and concepts are appropriate for children’s age and development. For example, discussing “calcium-rich foods” means very little to young children. What is more tangible and meaningful is to relate milk and cheese to strong teeth and bones.

Incorporate sound nutrition principles and accurate information as the foundation of your nutrition activities. Frosting cupcakes or counting candies is entertaining, but lacks in educational quality. An activity using fresh fruit is a healthier alternative.

Take advantage of “teachable moments” to integrate nutrition education into the curriculum. If you have “picky” eaters who hesitate to eat unfamiliar foods, engage the children in an activity that highlights the new food on the menu. For example, if kiwi fruit will soon be served for the first time, introduce it to the children through a classroom activity; encourage them to feel the unique texture of its skin and examine its unusual color and appearance.

Food and nutrition activities are beneficial in teaching simple math concepts. Children assembling a fresh fruit salad can count the grapes, berries, apples, and bananas that go into their creation. They use verbal, social, and fine motor skills in a group setting. And this is a “teachable moment” to talk about the trees, vines, bushes, and plants on which fruits grow.

Safe cooking and food preparation require planning. Make sure to consider sanitation and prevention of food-borne illness when you plan your activity. A safe cooking activity matches the children’s abilities to the tasks involved in the activity; so look for projects and recipes maximizing the children’s involvement, but are also safe for their participation.

If considering a cooking project that involves the use of sharp objects, motorized equipment, and/or heat-producing appliances, take into account whether the activity can be adapted safely to your setting. If you have any doubts about the safety or potential for injury, then discard the project and look for an alternate activity.

Flexibility, patience, and a sense of humor are necessary ingredients when planning an activity involving young children and food. Sometimes the intended learning objective does not go as planned. Remember that often the most meaningful and educational experiences sprout from “failed” lesson plans. Remind yourself that each child will learn from the experience. Evaluate the activity after completion, and determine ways to improve it in the future.

Appropriate Food Activities for Young Children

When selecting food activities, consider the children’s ages, interests, attention spans, participation skills, and motor skills. Generally, the younger the child, the shorter the activity should be.

For example, a food preparation activity for two-year-olds may be making lemonade, while four-year-olds can participate in more complicated recipes, like making a quick bread. As children grow, increase the complexity of the activity and look for projects that build on skills they have developed. Match tasks to children’s individual abilities so everyone contributes to the project.

For young children, simple is usually best. It may be tempting to plan an elaborate food or nutrition project that is beautifully photographed and presented in a magazine as a “child’s activity.” However, projects with complicated steps or too many ingredients often lead to frustration and aggravation for both children and teachers.

As you read the steps in an activity or the ingredients to a recipe, visualize yourself and the children involved in that process. Do you see learning and organized activity taking place--or chaos and stress? Determine which activities will work best for your specific situation.

Another consideration in selecting a food-based activity is to evaluate your space, supplies, and resources. How much table or counter space do you have? Is it an appropriate height, accessible to the children? Is there room for everyone to be involved at once, or are you going to work with one or two children at a time?

Collect all supplies and ingredients before you begin the activity. Having everything assembled keeps children from becoming impatient and frustrated, and helps ensure a more enjoyable experience for everyone.

Resources for Ideas

Remember your local library as you plan a food-based activity. Children’s cookbooks are a good source of new ideas. Recipes geared toward children generally have few ingredients and a limited number of steps. Be aware that many are designed for school-age children; so make adaptations for time, safety, and complexity. Some recipes also based on a one-to-one ratio of adults to children, so look for recipes that can be adapted to group settings.

Food and nutrition activities are educational and valuable experiences for young children. Planning and preparation will ensure a hands-on learning environment that encourages children to learn about food and how it keeps their bodies strong and healthy.

By Marna Holland
Parent Educator
Asheville City Preschools, Asheville, NC

Internet Resources

Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards, National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education, nrc.uchsc.edu/CFOC/

Child Care Home: Appetites and Healthy Attitudes Toward Food, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service, www.nncc.org/Nutrition/cch.appetites.html

Nourishing Children with Books, Virginia Cooperative Extension, www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/348/348-950/348-950.html

Nutrition Activities with Children, Healthy Childcare, www.healthychild.net/NutritionAction.php?article_id=36

Nutrition for the Preschool Child, University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension, www.nncc.org/Nutrition/nutrition.pres.html