MyPlate, MyWins is all about finding a healthy eating style that works for your family and fits with your everyday life. The MyPlate icon is a reminder to make healthy choices from each of the five food groups, and there are many small changes you can make that add up to big success over time. Here you’ll find fun, practical tips and tools that have worked for other families. Give some a try, and discover “wins” for your own family.
How can families help their children and teens eat healthy at school?
- Try new foods at home. Kids need many opportunities to taste a new food to “get used to it.”
- Eat lunch at school with your child. Learn more about what’s offered and meet school nutrition staff.
- Encourage your child or teen to join in taste-testing events or surveys about school lunch, when available.
- Talk with your child about what’s on the menu. Make sure they know about all the foods that are included in their school lunch.
Activities to Do With kids
Are you looking for fun ways to teach kids about healthy eating? Try these activities to get the whole family on board with making healthier choices.
Preschool and Elementary-Aged Kids
Food Critic
Kids are much more likely to try new foods when they get to take the lead. In this fun game, kids get to pick a new food at the grocery store, taste it, and rate it like a food critic.
Grocery Store Bingo
Make your weekly errand an opportunity for your kids to learn about new foods and healthy eating choices with this printable bingo card.
Food Art
Show kids that healthy foods can be beautiful and appetizing. Check out these food art examples to inspire your creativity.
Blast Off Game
In this online game, kids must fuel up their MyPlate spaceship with smart food choices and physical activity to fly to Planet Power.
Tweens and Teens
Kid’s Restaurant
Let the kid(s) be the chef. Kids get to plan out the meal, design a menu for you, and prepare the dish. Use this printable template to get them started.
MyPlate Plan
Enter your age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity level to get a personalized food plan showing what and how much to eat within your calorie allowance.
Grow a Garden
Get tweens and teens involved in family meals with gardening. You can start small, with a window herb box in your kitchen or a garden in your yard.
Learn Where Your Food Comes From
Helping kids learn about the source of their food and the people who produce it may motivate them to make healthy choices. Attend a local farmer’s market or farm stand as a family and gather ingredients for a meal to cook together. Find a market near you!
Making Family Mealtimes Fun
Sitting down together for a meal whenever you can is a great way to connect with your family. Keeping it relaxed is key to making sure you are getting the most out of this time together, including talking, laughing and choosing healthy foods. Here are some tips from families for making meals more relaxed in your home:
- Remove distractions. Turn off the television and put away phones and tablets, so that your attention is on each other.
- Talk to each other. Focus conversation on what family members did during the day, for example, what made you laugh or what you did for fun.
- Let kids make choices. Set a healthy table and let everyone, including the kids, make choices about what they want and how much to eat.
- Let everyone help. Kids learn by doing. The little one might get the napkins and older kids help with fixing foods and clean‐up.
- Make-your-own dishes like tacos, mini pizzas, and yogurt parfaits get everyone involved in meal time.
- On nice days, opt for a change of scenery. For example, go to a nearby park for a dinner picnic.
- Reserve a special plate to rotate between family members, for example on birthdays, when someone gets a good grade, or any other occasion you’d like to recognize.
Source: Adapted from ChooseMyPlate.gov –
https://www.choosemyplate.gov/families July 31, 2018
