It’s March and that means it is time to celebrate and focus on Nutrition!  Project: Fit Kids is a project I created for my Child Development class where students pretended that the director of “Tiny Tots” preschool has asked them to develop an interactive program on healthy eating and exercise for young children (ages 3-5). Continue reading to learn more.

Set

• Share with students that March is designated as National Nutrition Month.
• Read or show the story used in the project titled, “The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food” as a way to introduce them to the theme.
• If necessary, review MyPlate and Developmentally Appropriate Practices using a TPT freebie, “DAP vs DAP“.
• Go over all of the details of the project before giving students time to work on their ideas for presentation.

Materials

• iPads or Laptops
• Projector & Screen
• The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food (affiliate link)
• MyPlate Visuals for Young Children (optional–affiliate link)

Activities

• In this project students are required to include certain information and activities. However, how they present it is up to them. Place your students into small groups to complete this assignment.
• Students must include:
  • A presentation of MyPlate for kids using a “hands-on” activity or approach with visuals and/or props. Explain all activities in detail and how children will participate along with a list of materials you may need to implement the activity(ies).
  • A written skit that you will perform for the children that shows the importance of exercise/physical activity and why we need to incorporate it in our daily lives. Be sure to write the skit in “play format” with names and narratives.
  • An age appropriate game that you play with the children that is active and promotes exercise. Explain the object and rules of the game along with a list of materials needed.
  • A healthy snack that you would serve children. Include a recipe and photo along with a detailed explanation of why you chose the snack you did.
• Once students have their presentations completed, they must share with the class and all members must have a speaking role. And, when I say share, they must teach the class the lessons and activities they came up with as though the class was a group of preschoolers. The audience not only participated, but also offered feedback. It also allows for great discussion on how sometimes ideas work great on paper but putting them into practice doesn’t always work the way we think they should and why it’s important to give things a “test run”.
• Optional Extension:  If you have a Preschool or Kindergarten near you, this may be a great opportunity to get your students out to practice working with children in an educational setting especially if they wish to become teachers themselves in the future.

Attachments

• Project: Fit Kids (PDF)

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk