Activity Purpose
Learn about the best nutrition choices while playing a game similar to tag. Kids will have fun while guarding the healthiest foods in their cupboard!
Objectives
- Recognize that your energy (recharge) can influence your food and beverage choices.
- Use a stoplight as a tool to make nutritional food and beverage choices: green-light (eat more), yellow-light (eat some), and red-light (eat less).
Preparation
- Talk Time: Kids sit and stretch or stand and march in place. Be sure they are a safe distance (arm’s length) apart.
- Activity: Only the green-light and red-light Food Activity Cards are used for this activity. Separate cards by looking at the color of the food word's text (green, yellow, or red). Place a cone or an object at one end of the activity space.
- Wrap Up: Kids partner with someone sitting near them for discussion.
Talk Time
Introduction
Q: Are apples and bananas green-light, yellow-light, or red-light foods?
A: They are green-light foods! They are loaded with nutrition to fuel you up with energy!
Here are some important things to know about how recharge and food are connected:
- Recharge gives you energy to think about your food choices...and to make a nutritious choice.
- Green-light food choices give you the best energy to move and think.
This activity is a version of tag where red-light foods try to get into the green-light foods' cupboard. The goal of the activity is keep the red-light foods from getting inside the "cupboard" and stealing the object (e.g., cone).
Do The Activity
Activity Instructions
- All players draw a Food Activity Card. Those that draw a green-light card put on a mesh jersey or alternative identifier (e.g., tape, armband).
- Two horizontal lines are formed at opposite ends of the activity space.Those with green-light cards form one line, and those with red-light cards form another. Players in each line stand at least an arm's distance away from one another.
- An object is placed behind the green-light team.
- Shout, "Food in the Cupboard!"
- Players from the red-light team try to capture the object behind the green-light team.
- Players from the green-light team try to tag players from the red-light team. If a red-light team member is tagged, they stop and march in place until the object is captured or leader shouts, "Stop!" (Because all have been tagged.)
- If the object is captured and time allows, redistribute cards and repeat activity.
Wrap Up
Reflections
Partner with a friend and fill in the blanks:
- I use to think _____________, but now I know _____________.
Answers will vary. Encourage kids to talk about what they have learned at fitClub. The "now I know" section can include:
- It's important to recharge to have energy to think about your food choices before you make a choice.
- Recharge gives you energy to think about your food choices...and to make a healthy choice.
- Green-light (nutritious) food choices give you the best energy to move and think.
Challenge
Talk with your family about nutritious food choices for mealtime and snacks.
Time: 10 Minutes
What You'll Need
Resources
Materials
- Mesh Vests
- Cones or Place Markers
- Timer
Helpful Tips
- If located in a small space, crab walk or bear crawl across the activity space.
- If your group consists of a smaller number of kids, reduce the number of “healthy food” taggers.
- Call out different skills for the frozen kids to complete instead of marching in place.
- If no mesh vests are available, use tape or another identifier for taggers.
- Use pool noodles or other soft object for tagging.
- Help students understand food options by downloading the Eat More, Eat Some, and Eat Less Food Chart.