For preschoolers, being healthy means more than not being sick. It means making choices that will help you to feel great – now and in the future! Help children learn to make choices that will start them on the path towards a healthy lifestyle.
Children look through magazines, cutting out pictures of food. Help them to decide which foods are healthy and which are not as healthy. (For example: Too much ice cream can cause you to gain weight and is not good for your teeth. Milk helps to build strong bones and teeth.) Glue the pictures on two separate pieces of paper, one for healthy choices and one for foods that should only be eaten occasionally.
OPTION: Cut out pictures of healthy food and paste them to paper plates so children can serve up a healthy lunch.
Bring in Help
Invite a pediatric doctor, nurse or dentist to come to a meeting and talk to the children about staying healthy. Be sure you inform them of the ages of your group and the number you usually have in attendance.
Muscle Magic
Explain that God made our bodies to include something wonderful and magic. Even though we can’t see muscles that are hidden in our bodies, they are important to help us move and stretch. And then just like magic, muscles relax and rest again.
Give each child a large, thick rubber band to stretch and contract. Explain this is the way our muscles move. Try to feel some muscles in your arm. Flex and relax. Bend and straighten. Can you feel your muscles working? Explain that muscles grow stronger when we are moving and exercising. Running, jumping and playing are healthy choices that help us to grow stronger.
Glitter Germs
Start with children sitting in a circle. Ask children to tell why washing your hands is a healthy choice. (Dirty hands spread germs. Germs make us sick.) Sprinkle a small amount of glitter onto your own hands and rub them together to spread the glitter. Explain that these are awful, horrible Glitter Germs.
When we touch something that has germs on it, the germs get on us and we put germs on other things we touch. With your awful horrible Glitter Germ covered hands, touch several things, such as a Lego, stuffed animal, crayons, etc. and then pass them to the children, who pass them around the circle. Ask children what happened to the glitter germs. Does everyone have glitter germs now?
Unlike glitter germs, real germs are invisible. Even though we can’t see real germs, they travel around and spread in the same way. Real germs are not pretty and sparkly. They make you sick.
Washing your hands with soap and water is a healthy choice because it is the best way to stop germs from traveling around. Practice washing hands with soap and water to get rid of the glitter germs!
SONG
Healthy Choices Song
(TUNE: This the Way We Wash Our Clothes)
This is the way we wash our hands, wash our hands, wash our hands.
This is the way we wash our hands so early in the morning.
Other possible verses:
Play outdoors…Jump and play…Eat our fruit…Drink our milk….Eat good food…Brush our teeth…Get our rest…Say our prayers…
ACTIVITY CENTERS
Shopping We Will Go
Set up a shopping station using plastic fruits, empty food boxes or containers. If possible, add a plastic shopping cart and pretend money. Children shop for healthy foods.
Healthy Heroes
Provide doctor, nurse, dentist and exercise trainer tools and dress-up outfits. Children pretend to be heroes who help dolls to stay healthy.
GAMES
Food Group Game
Cut out and laminate pictures from the various food groups on to cards or poster board paper, in sizes the children can easily handle. Include lots of
healthy choices–fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, and dairy. Make circles from hula-hoops, tape or use large paper plates. Label them to show the
various food groups. Let the children choose a card and place it in the appropriate circle.
No time to cut pictures? Choose a food group, such as dairy, and ask the children to think of a food that belongs in that group. Example: for dairy children might name milk, cheese, ice cream, etc. When children name an appropriate item that matches the group, they form a circle. Take turns until all children have named a food and joined the circle. Name another food group and continue the play.
Get Moving
Exercise is an important healthy choice. Play favorite games that get children moving and using their muscles. Some old favorites to try:
• Wheelbarrow Races – The “wheelbarrow” lies face down on the floor. The “driver” holds on to the feet of the “wheelbarrow” and lifts him up. The wheelbarrow supports himself on his arms and “walks” forward as the pusher carries his feet toward the goal line.
• Row, Row, Row Your Boat – Two children sit facing each other, legs slightly spread and feet touching. Reach out and clasp hands, then rock backwards and forward, singing Row, row, row your boat.
• Jumping beans – Two children hold hands and imitate jumping beans. Start by bouncing, then progress to jumping up and down; jumping on one foot, then the other, etc. Rest a few seconds, switch partners and then start all over again.
• Hula Hoops or Jumping Ropes provide a great heart healthy work out. Check the Dollar Store for child-sized versions of these old favorites. Don’t worry if kids can’t keep a hula-hoop going around their waists. Spin the on an arm or leg. Moving is the important thing.
• Hop Scotch – Go outside and draw hop scotch squares on the sidewalk and then hop away. This activity also lets children practice numbers and counting.
Happy Feet
Dancing is a great healthy choice to get kids moving and exercising. Put on a children’s CD and crank up the music. Twist and turn, jump and shout. Make up crazy motions to try with the songs.
Leaders: Kids will enjoy this activity more if you join in and have fun with them, so bust out your best dance routine and move your happy feet!
CRAFTS
Thumbprint Fruits
Use watercolors to make healthy thumbprint fruits. Cherries, grapes, strawberries are easy to make. Or create a watermelon slice using red and green construction paper. Add lots of thumbprint “seeds.”
Healthy Food Chains
Cuts strips of yellow, green, red, white and brown construction paper. Let children paste the ends of a strip together to form a paper chain. As they work ask them to name healthy foods that each color can represent. I.E., white = milk, cottage cheese, etc.
SNACKS
Healthy Harry (or Harriett)
Spread a flour tortilla with yogurt. Shape a face for Healthy Harry using an apple slice for the mouth, banana slices for the eyes, and a grape or raisin for the nose.
Fresh Catch
Provide each child with a small plate containing: a handful of stick pretzels; a spoonful of peanut butter, yogurt, or whipped cream cheese; a handful of gold fish crackers or teddy grahams. Children dip a pretzel stick into the spread and catch an animal.
BIBLE LESSON
Growing and Growing
Grow in the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Get to know him better. Give him glory both now and forever. Amen. 2 Peter 3:18 (NIrV)
Loving God is a healthy choice that will help us to have happy hearts. Ask children if they are growing bigger? What kind of healthy choices help you to grow? (Good food, exercise, rest)
Did you know that God wants us to grow closer to him? (Learn all or part of the verse by putting it with actions and repeating it several times.)
What can we do to grow closer to God? (Read the Bible, Pray)
Sing the chorus Read Your Bible, Pray Every Day and You’ll Grow, Grow, Grow
RESOURCES
BOOKS
Rabe, Tish; Oh the Things You Can Do That Are Good for You! All About Staying Healthy; The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library; Random House
Rockwell, Lizzy; Good Enough to Eat: A Kid’s Guide to Food and Nutrition; Harper Collins
Sharmat, Mitchell; Gregory, the Terrible Eater; Scholastic
LINKS
Lesson plan to supplement Gregory, the Terrible Eater can be found at: www.eduref.org/Virtual/Lessons/Health/Nutrition/NUT0017.html
Lesson plans and activities to supplement Oh the Things You Can Do That Are Good for You! All About Staying Healthy can be found at:
Dole’s Healthy Celebration Center offers ideas of ways to celebrate being fit and healthy.
Great interactive website for kids and educators.
Nutrition Themed Preschool Unit with lessons, games, craft ideas, etc.
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