Kicking for Healthy Eating

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Lesson Title: Kicking for Healthy Eating

Lesson Objectives: Students will learn to identify the specific healthy food items under each food group.

Grade(s): 1-5

Location(s) to play: Gym or cafeteria

Time: 30 to 45 minutes

Summary of Tasks/Actions:

  1. Set up 8 goals on opposite sides of the space chosen: 4 goals each for two teams titled “Whole Grains, Lean Meat/Meat Alternative, Vegetables, and Fruits.”
  2. Divide the students into two teams and identify which set of goals each team is aiming for.
  3. When the afterschool counselor asks, “What food group do(es) [specific food] belong to?” the teams start play in the same fashion as soccer. They compete to get the ball, using only their feet, and try to kick it into the correct goal to answer the question.
  4. Each correct answer is 1 point.
  5. After each point, the afterschool counselor asks about another specific food and play starts again.
  6. The team with the highest points wins.

Materials/Equipment:

Ball

Cardboard boxes to create 8 goal posts, or 8 actual soccer goals

Flip chart pad or whiteboard (to write down the score)

Markers (to record the score)

Follow-Up Questions:

  1. What did you think of this game?
  2. What did you learn from the game?
  3. What would you change to make the learning stronger?

Answer Key:

Foods under Whole Grains: Brown rice, quinoa, pita bread, bread, bun, cereal, barley, oatmeal

Foods under Lean Meat/Meat Alternative: Fish, egg, tofu, chicken, turkey, pork, lentil, lamb

Foods under Vegetable: Broccoli, carrot, beans, lettuce, tomato

Foods under Fruits: Apricots, cantaloupe, grapefruit, orange, banana, apple