Stay At Home Educator

intentional teaching for purposeful learning

  • About
    • Copyright / Disclosure / Privacy Policy
    • Contact
  • Preschool Lesson Plans
  • Literacy
  • STEAM
  • Development
  • Thematic Activities
  • Play Ideas
  • Shop
    • Cart
    • Checkout
    • My Account

Teach Healthy Eating to Kids with A Veggie Garden Playdough Invitation to Play

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that at no cost to you, I may earn a small sum if you click through and make a purchase.

October 25, 2018 by Sarah Punkoney, MAT

fA food and nutrition theme is a great way to teach healthy eating to kids! This vegetable garden playdough invitation to play is not only a fun way to incorporate some math into your food theme, but also a non-imposing way to teach children about vegetables!

Teach Healthy Eating to Kids with This Math Activity Using Playdough

Teach healthy eating to kids with a veggie garden playdough invitation

I have two preschool classes of eight students each, and then five kids of my own. Trust me when I say that I understand the pain and suffering of an adult trying to teach healthy eating to kids.

Kids are naturally picky. Not just in eating, but everything. It’s part of their development as they process what it means for them to gain independence and to make their own choices.

Kids are also stubborn and strong-willed. Again, part of their development…and maybe part of their cute little personalities, too. (Wink, wink).

My point is, I get it.

But it’s so important to teach children healthy eating habits while they are young! (I’ve mentioned this before in this post). And a food and nutrition activity like this one totally fits the bill for teaching healthy eating.

In full disclosure, children may still push away their plate of sliced red peppers and hummus, but research shows that the more exposure children have to a food the more likely they are to try it.

So why not take that level of exposure to a new level with a veggie garden play dough math invitation to play?!

Playdough Math Invitation to Play to Teach Healthy Eating to Kids

My favorite part of this healthy eating activity is that it’s crazy fast and simple to set-up. As in, a matter of minutes.

And the learning outcomes are many for such a quick set-up.

Materials

  • Vegetable counters (You can get fruit counters, too!)
  • Dice
  • Brown playdough

The Set-up

Pour out the vegetable counters onto a tray, or in a long line on the table. Give each child a chunk of playdough. (Did I mention we colored this playdough with cocoa powder? You can read about it here.)

Finally, set out the dice and invite your preschooler to join you for some healthy eating math fun!

The Healthy Eating Playdough Invitation to Play

These vegetable counters were new to my kids, and the first thing I do when offering them something new to explore in a directed activity is to allow them time to just play. To manipulate and explore the materials on their own.

Don’t skip this step. Often, I find, it inspires some of the best and most effective activities in my preschool.

The math activity is simple. Invite your preschooler to roll the dice and identify the number. I like to use a dice with numerals so my preschoolers can practice number identification, but you can use a dice with pips, too. Using a dice with pips will allow your preschooler to not only practice more one-to-one correspondence but also subitizing. (Subitizing is the ability to automatically recognize quantities. I’ve written about why it’s an important number sense skill here).

So, roll the dice and identify the number. Then your preschooler will count out the corresponding number of vegetable counters and “plant” them (push them) into the play dough.

Here’s the catch though…

The preschooler must select one kind of vegetable to plant with each roll. So, if the number five is rolled, then the preschooler must select five of one kind of vegetable counter. Five red peppers, or five ears of corn, or five eggplant. The next time the dice is rolled, then another kind of vegetable can be planted, or more of the same.

Teach healthy eating to kids using a playdough math game with toy vegetables

My little boys began by making small “fields” of vegetables within their playdough garden. I tried to make mine (yes, I played too) in nice straight lines. But soon, we had played for so long that our gardens were filled will all kinds of vegetables, and they didn’t stay very organized, either. That’s ok!

Use vegetable counters and playdough to teach healthy eating to kids

But look at this play!

Playing a math game to teach healthy eating to kids

This kind of play is the work of preschoolers! And I assure you this is such a fun way to teach healthy eating to kids!

Hands on math game to teach healthy eating to kids

But let’s talk about how we can extend this activity to really teaching healthy eating to kids!

Questions to Ask to Teach Healthy Eating to Kids

Any preschool activity is only as good as the conversations you engage the children in. Yes, children can learn very well without interference from an adult, and you should certainly use their natural conversations as a way to guide your own questions and dialogue starters.

But here are some ideas for how to teach healthy eating to kids with this play dough activity.

  • What vegetable is this? It is the color _____ ? What does it feel like?
  • Have you ever tried _____? I like to eat it in _____. Have you ever eaten _____?
  • Why did you choose ______ to plant? How do you like to eat it?
  • Have you ever seen a _____ field? Have you ever seen this vegetable in the store? What about at home?
  • What do you think this tastes like? I think it tastes _____ (sweet, grainy, crunchy, etc).
  • I like the color of this vegetable. What other foods are _____?

Your preschoolers will of course inspire the best conversations to have during the invitation to play. The key is to engage them in language. Rich, informative, and academically appropriate for preschoolers. (You can read about other easy ways to develop language in preschooler here and here).

Use this fun math game to teach healthy eating to kids

Looking for More Food and Nutrition Activities?

I’ve got a bunch for you! Try some of these and be sure to grab the free printable that are included!

food and nutrition activities for preschoolers         the first thanksgiving snack for preschoolers          healthy eating process art for preschool          healthy eating science investigation for preschool

Want More Food and Nutrition Printables?

I made this activity pack to compliment my preschool centers. But they are fantastic for small groups, circle time, and even independent practice if you are a homeschooling parent.

food and nutrition activity pack

Join our community!

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit
Sarah Punkoney, MAT

I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.

stayathomeeducator.com/

Filed Under: Counting & Number Identification, Food & Nutrition, Gardening, Invitations to Play, Mathematics, Number Sense, Play, Playdough, Thematic Activities

« How to Teach Your Child to Read in Preschool
Ghosts and Ghouls Halloween Counting Activities for Preschoolers »

Trackbacks

  1. 6 Preschool Math Activities for a Food and Nutrition Theme says:
    November 12, 2018 at 5:07 am

    […] healthy eating habits are solidified by adolescence (and maybe since preschoolers are naturally selective eaters), […]

  2. Teach Healthy Eating Habits with Eat the Rainbow Activity says:
    November 19, 2018 at 5:43 am

    […] the Rainbow color chart will get your child thinking about how different foods come in different colors! This is a fun way to teach healthy eating habits and maybe even encourage […]

  3. Teach More and Less Concepts in Preschool with Free Lemonade Theme Printable says:
    July 25, 2019 at 5:24 am

    […] So, it’s kinda’ a family thing and my kid’s favorite refreshment in the summer is absolutely, hands-on, without debate…you got it…lemonade. […]

Search This Site

Stay Connected

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter


PRINTABLE SHOP
PLANNING
LITERACY
MATH
DEVELOPMENT
THEMES
PLAY
Visit Sarah @ Stay At Home Educator's profile on Pinterest.
Stay At Home Educator

© Copyright 2015 Foodie Pro Theme · Genesis Framework · Customizations by Kara Carrero ·

Wordpress