Health Safety & Nutrition Activities for Preschool Kids

Preschoolers love to learn when the lessons involve interaction with other children.

Preschoolers are eager to learn and love to play and interact with one another, so finding fun ways for children to do just this is a key to helping them learn and memorize important health and safety issues. Group activities help children learn to express themselves and socialize, as well.

Coloring

Children learn most effectively when they are doing things that they enjoy. Coloring gives children a way to express their own creativity and, at the same time, commit to memory the subject that they are coloring. By giving children a picture and explanation of an apple and red or green crayons, a preschool teacher can encourage a child's creativity and individuality while at the same time helping the child to memorize that an apple is a fruit, that it is nutritious and healthy, and that it is red or green in color.

The same concept can be applied with pictures of other fruits, such as oranges or bananas, as well as vegetables and other healthy foods. At the end of the lesson, a picture of an entire fruit basket may be an effective way to test the child's memory and ensure that he or she has grasped the concept of healthy foods. Coloring pages depicting safety issues, such as staying away from fire or looking both ways before crossing a street, can help a child to memorize these safety tips, as well.

Games

Preschoolers can learn a lot by playing games, and they often don't even realize that they are being taught. Games such as hang man teach older children how to spell, and a similar game can be put into action to aid preschoolers in learning about healthy, nutritious foods.

Have the children color their own pictures of oranges, apples, bananas and candy. Then, laminate these pictures and place inexpensive tape on the back of the pictures. Place a group of 3 or 4 healthy items taped onto a board or wall and one non healthy item, such as a lolly pop or a piece of gum, and have the children pick the items that are not healthy. They will feel proud of seeing their own work on the board and will be learning at the same time.

Songs

Songs are fun ways for children to use their voices! By teaching children songs about safety, teachers and parents can introduce children to the world of music and help them to learn rules of safety and other issues in a fun, carefree way. Songs that are up-beat and easy to memorize, such as Safety Comes First, allow preschool age children to sing safe rules and ideas, which will ultimately result in memorization of the safe ways to cross streets, deal with fire and handle other life situations that they may encounter.

References

• Healthy Foods Lessons and Games for Preschoolers
• Preschool Songs That Teach
• Safety Comes First- Song Lyrics