NUTRITION GAMES

Teach kids about healthy eating without them knowing it!

• Kitchen Scavenger Hunt
• Nutrition Pursuit
• Set a Healthy Table
• Portion Distortion
• Can You Guess?
• Nutrition Trivia
• Fit City for Fit Families Challenge!

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KITCHEN SCAVENGER HUNT

This twist of a typical scavenger hunt will teach kids where to find cooking supplies without turning your kitchen upside down!

Materials:

• Various objects around your kitchen such as:
  Measuring cups
  Can Opener
  Toaster
  Plastic containers
  Spices
  Kitchen towels

Process:

1. Make a list of kitchen objects you would like your child to discover.
2. Ask him to find the first object. As he walks around the kitchen, let him know if he is getting warmer or colder depending on how far away he is from the object.
3. After he finds the first object, continue with the other objects on the list.
4. When he helps you cook, reinforce what he learned from this game by asking him to find the supplies you need and let him know if he is getting warmer or colder.

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NUTRITION PURSUIT

Materials:

• Stocked pantry, cupboards and/or refrigerator
• 2 pieces of paper, one labeled Healthy Food, the other labeled Junk Food
• A picture of the food-guide pyramid, drawn or printed

Process:

1. Have your child search the pantry, cupboards and/or refrigerator and pick out 10-15 different items, random or favorite.
2. Place these items on a table, and have your child place each item on the Healthy Food or Junk Food papers, depending on the category in which she feels it belongs.
3. Ask her why she has placed the items she has in their respective categories. Discuss how the items fit into the food groups of the food guide pyramid. Which food groups are represented the most? Are these the groups that also are the largest bands in the pyramid and therefore are recommended to be the largest parts of your diet?

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SET A HEALTHY TABLE

Materials:

• Magazines or food clip art
• Scissors*
• Contact paper, optional
• Paper
• Crayons, colored pencils or markers
• Paper plates and bowls
• Plastic cups
• Plastic silverware
• Napkins

* If child is too young to use scissors, pictures can be pre-cut for her

Process:

1. Let your child cut pictures of food from magazines or search the internet together for free food clip art. Pictures should include several foods from each of the grain, fruit, vegetable, milk/dairy and meat/bean categories. You can cover the pictures with contact paper to last longer.
2. On the paper, draw a picture of how you want a table set for dinner.
3. Instruct your child to set the table as seen on the paper.
4. Have your child group the pictures based on their food category.
5. Have your child make a balanced meal by placing pictures from at least 3 different food categories onto her plate, bowl or cup.
6. Reinforce the message by serving your family dinners the same way!

PORTION DISTORTION

Materials:

Various foods such as: Rice (1/2 cup) Pasta (1/2 cup) Juice (1/2 cup) Fresh fruit (Size of a tennis ball) Frozen vegetables Milk (8 ounces/1 cup) Popcorn (3 cups) Potato Chips (Typically about 7) Sugar (10 tsp for 12 ounce, 17 tsp for 20 ounce and 27 tsp for 32 ounce)

Measuring cups and spoons Spoons or forks Plates, bowls, cups

Process:

1. Let your child portion out onto a plate the amount of food, or pour into a glass the amount of juice, an average person might eat. Or have him portion out what someone might be served if dining out at a restaurant.
2. Have your child count how many servings that would be by measuring out the recommended portions for each food or drink.
3. Discuss how eating healthy doesn't always mean eating less. Compare the larger amount of popcorn he would be able to eat for the same amount of calories as the small amount of potato chips. Eating healthy can mean eating more food because there is less fat and calories.
4. Discuss how empty calories (calories with no nutritional value) enter the diet through soft drinks. Have your child measure out the amount of sugar in a 12, 20 and 32 ounce can of soda.
5. Reinforce the message of eating moderate portions while eating together as a family!

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CAN YOU GUESS?

Great game to keep kids pre-occupied in the car!

Materials:

• Descriptions of food, food-related activities and fitness activities
• Stop watch, alarm or timer

Process:

1. Tell your child a description and within a set time frame have her guess the answer.
2. Additional descriptions can be given within time frame if desired.
3. Turn the game into a family challenge by dividing into teams!

Example Descriptions:
I'm green on the outside but red on the inside (watermelon)
I'm a fruit but my seeds grow on the outside (strawberry)

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NUTRITION TRIVIA

Materials:

Nutrition Trivia Questions and Answers ( Download article)

Process:

1. Ask your child one of our nutrition questions (or add some of your own!) and see if they know the answer.
2. Turn the game into a family challenge by dividing into teams!

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FIT CITY FOR FIT FAMILIES CHALLENGE

Materials:

• Computer with internet

Process:

1. Register your family at http://www.fitcitychallenge.org
2. Challenge each family member to eat the minimum of 5 fruits and vegetables a day and walk (or an equivalent physical activity) 5 miles a week.
3. Track your family's success using the Fit City Challenge record.
4. Establish non-food related prizes for when your family reaches its goals.