{"id":2968,"date":"2016-02-04T11:46:26","date_gmt":"2016-02-04T16:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/?p=2968"},"modified":"2026-06-12T14:29:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T18:29:21","slug":"national-nutrition-month-activity-bucket-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ssww.com\/blog\/national-nutrition-month-activity-bucket-list\/","title":{"rendered":"National Nutrition Month – Activity Bucket List"},"content":{"rendered":"

March is National Nutrition Month! There are so many ways to raise awareness on the importance of healthy eating habits and stay informed about the nutritious choices we have. We’ve created a Nutrition Activity Bucket List<\/strong><\/a> to make it easy for\u00a0teachers, after school programs, activity directors, and parents to print\u00a0and check off and complete activities for the month.<\/p>\n

Here is\u00a0the printable\u00a0version<\/a><\/strong>. You’ll also find more details and ideas for each activity below.<\/p>\n

\"Nutrition<\/a>1) 5 Minute Nutrition Activities<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you need a quick nutrition activity for the classroom, this 5 Minute Nutritional Activitiy Book<\/a><\/strong> for Elementary School from Learning ZoneXpress is very helpful. There are some great ideas that can be used for grades K-6. We’ve included one below as an example!<\/p>\n

Source<\/strong>: 5 Minute Activities – Nutrition Activities for Preschoolers
\nSubject<\/strong>: Food Groups
\nActivity<\/strong>: Grocery Bag Relay
\nSupplies Needed<\/strong>: Grocery bags, food pictures<\/p>\n

Instructions<\/strong>: In order to learn what foods go in what group, set up grocery bags in the front of the room or field. Label each with a word and corresponding picture – grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, protein, fats and sweets. Give each preschooler a picture of a one- ingredient food (i.e.: an apple or an English muffin). When it is his or her turn, the child runs to the grocery bags and deposits the picture in the food group bag he\/she thinks it belongs. When everyone has taken a turn, empty the bags, one at a time and discuss with the children which ones really belong and which ones actually go somewhere else.<\/p>\n

2) Create a Nutrition Bulletin Board\"nutrition<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

There are so many creative ways to create a bulletin board for health and nutrition! You can have students make a craft or design one yourself. You can also use a pre-built back like this What’s On Your Plate bulletin board set<\/a><\/strong>. We also have this food trim<\/strong><\/a> too!\u00a0Also a great resource is Pinterest<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3) Incorporate health in a fitness activity<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fitness and health go hand in hand. For P.E teachers, it’s important to teach kids the benefits of keeping an active and healthy lifestyle. Use fitness dice<\/strong><\/a> to encourage kids to stay active and healthy, or create your own nutrition stations using these cone covers<\/strong><\/a> to help kids learn nutritional facts and incorporate it with fitness activities. Create info cards to go into the sections, like food groups, vitamins, fitness components, etc. Fuel Up to Play 60<\/a> also has a list of some great tools for getting active. We also have this Focused Fitness DVD<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0that incorporate several activities and resources.<\/p>\n

4) Plant seeds to start a small garden<\/strong><\/p>\n

For a hands on approach to Nutrition Month, get some seeds for vegetables<\/a><\/strong> and fruits to plant. Teach kids how to care for these plants, why they are important to eat, and about the nutrients they need to grow.<\/p>\n

5) Activity for reading food labels<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s not often that we check food labels and read nutrition facts. Some kids may not know how, and may be unaware of what ingredients are very bad for them. There’s a great resource from Kids Health in the Classroom for Reading Food Labels.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

6) Apply for a Nutrition Grant<\/strong><\/p>\n

If your school could use some better healthy eating choices, try applying for a grant related to nutrition. We are a big supporter of Let’s Move and this salad bar grant<\/a><\/strong> is part of that movement. See if your school qualifies! While you’re at it, if you have a great fitness program, apply to become a part of Let’s Move! Active Schools<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

7) Play a Nutrition Game to learn MyPlate\"nutrition<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Games are a great way to get kids interactive and having fun while learning. Buy a game or make up your own! Check out all of our activities related to MyPlate<\/a><\/strong>. You can also play a fun food card game as an educational brain break where you print cards and have to match up the foods.<\/p>\n

8) Create a Healthy Foods Crossword<\/strong><\/p>\n

Collect a list of foods and questions to make a crossword puzzle! For some free printables for younger kids, check out Nourish Interactive<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

9) Nutrition Question of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n

Choose a nutrition trivia question each day and have kids guess the answer. Review the right answer and be sure to include details. You can use food props<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>as a visual guide, or the 5 Minute Activity books can also be helpful for this activity.<\/p>\n

10) Learn to make a new healthy snack<\/strong><\/p>\n

Test out your cooking skills! Pick a healthy snack that you have always wanted to try. Making it yourself will help you understand what ingredients can be used to make something healthy. Check out our blog on Healthy Choices for Kids<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>which includes some fun and easy recipe ideas! For even more recipes, visit\u00a0Real Simple<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and Allrecipes<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out NationalNutritionMonth.org<\/a> <\/strong>for more great activities for health and fitness.<\/p>\n

You can also use this Healthy Eating Kits for Middle School<\/strong><\/a> as an informative kit with several activities and resources for your group! We also have this book set<\/strong> <\/a>for teaching readers about parts of the body and healthy habits.<\/p>\n

\"healthy<\/a><\/p>\n

Here is another great resource as well!<\/p>\n

National Nutrition Month Ideas for the Classroom<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n