We’ve compiled a list of our favorite fruit and vegetable activities for preschool students to help picky eaters adopt a more positive view of healthy eating. The vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber found in healthier food options are essential for young ones! These nutrients promote all-around development and strengthen our little one’s immune systems- making a world of play possible every day. So without further adieu, take a look at our creative fruit and vegetable activity ideas!
1. Vegetable Painting
Create an art space for your class to create a beautiful mess. Let the kids paint their favorite vegetables or fruit on paper. You’ll need the following:
- Vegetables/Fruits
- Paper
- Paint
Here’s a simple guide to painting with kids.
Learn More: YouTube
2. Fruity/Veggie Stamping
You can create carrot, apple, and potato stamps or have fun stamping with as many other vegetables as you’d like. Cut a veggie/fruit in half and cut out different basic shapes. Paint the top of the fruit/vegetable, and preschoolers can stamp different shapes. You need:
- Construction Sheet
- Fruit/ vegetables
- Paint
Learn More: YouTube
3. Fruit & Vegetables Dance Party
Have a fun fruity dance party with your preschoolers for a playful learning activity. Have them wear different vegetable costumes and play kid-friendly songs for them to bop along to. Add some extra activities like karaoke to increase the fun!
Learn More: YouTube
4. Apple Picking
Take your preschoolers to the community garden. You may group the kids according to different types of fruits and have them pick the fruits assigned to their group. A huge plus is that the kids get to eat what they pick!
Learn More: Shareably
5. Carrot Top Planting
People typically use a variety of seeds to plant crops. Another method is to have the kids place a cut carrot top in a dish with water. The carrot will continue to grow, and soon they’ll see the carrot leaf as a first sign. This is a great practical way to teach the kids.
Learn More: Laughing Kids Learn
6. Farm Craft
For simple craft activities, get the kids to design their own farm with a couple of tools. The kids craft farm-type trucks and other farm machines. Teach them more about where their food comes from whilst developing a few essential skills. You’ll need the following:
- Craft glue
- Cardboard/Construction paper
- Different colors of paint
Learn More: YouTube
7. Fruit/Veggie Sorting
Develop the kid’s critical thinking and counting skills with this cool activity Place a couple of fruits and vegetables onto the classroom floor. Have the kids appropriately sort different fruits & vegetables into the correctly labeled baskets.
Learn More: YouTube
8. Grocery Store Roleplay
Set up a child-friendly pretend grocery store in the classroom for a dramatic play space. Have a cash register and assorted produce items and snacks. Have learners roleplay staff like cashiers, product managers, etc.
Learn More: YouTube
9. 20 Questions
20 Questions is fairly simple. You don’t require many classroom resources to play this game. All you need to do is have your kids sit together. One student thinks of a word and doesn’t say it. Others ask them questions about their thoughts until they guess them.
Learn More: YouTube
10. Apple Cooking Class
Get your students in aprons and teach them about the various treats made with apples. Get the kids to assist you in making different apple products and dishes. You could make apple pie with apple slices or even caramel apples for a very yummy snack.
Learn More: YouTube
11. Circle Time
Gather the kids around in a circle and teach them more about fruits and vegetables practically. This is an excellent way for a classroom teacher to connect with her students. It’s also a great class management technique.
Learn More: YouTube
12. Fruit & Vegetable Decorations
Get the kids engaged with different fruits and vegetable decorations for the class. Get some:
- Craft paper
- Paint
- Markers and other craft-related materials that can be helpful
Have the kids make different crafts like paper fruits, leaves, etc. Most will entail folding and cutting so be sure to supervise closely.
Learn More: YouTube
13. Scavenger Hunt
Get the kids running and giggling with a different variation of a classic game. Hide a bunch of fruits and veggies around the playground and have the children run around picking as many as they can like this. The one who picks the most wins the hunt!
Learn More: YouTube
14. Veggie Trivia
Teach the kids random trivia about fruits & veggies before having a fun quiz to test their memory. Here’s an example.
Learn More: Toppo Kids
15. Veggie Graphs
You can have the children make a pictorial graph of their favorite fruit & vegetables. Give the kids some chart paper and coloring pencils and tell them to draw the degree to which they like each fruit/veggie. Keep the instructions simple to keep them engaged.
Learn More: YouTube
16. Reading Time
Get an educational book or a storybook about a fruit/veggie character and read it to the kids. Gather them to sit with you and gently read the book to them.
Learn More: YouTube
17. Fruit Labelling
Group the students for this fun project. Get the kids to select a couple of fruits before labeling them appropriately. They could draw each fruit and indicate what fruits they are. It’s a simple, fun way to familiarize themselves with more fruits.
Learn More: YouTube
18. Vegetable Mosaic
Help your preschoolers make a basic fruit mosaic in class. Draw the shape of the fruit on cardboard. Get some colored paper and cut them into confetti sizes. Have the kids glue them on the cardboard in the fruit’s shape. Don’t forget to help with cutting and gluing.
19. Grocery Store Field Trip
Organize a fun trip to the closest grocery store for your preschooler. Allow them to peruse through all the different fruits and veggies in the aisles. Purchase a couple and have them experience how their food is bought and processed.
Learn More: Field Trip Iowa
20. Veggie Memory Game
Play several guessing games with the kids to improve their memorization of different fruits and vegetables. You can use flashcards for jogging their memory too. Have the kids guess in different teams and reward them when they get it right.
Learn More: YouTube
21. Leaf Printing
Allow the kids to make a lovely mess with this fun activity. Use some celery stalks to make some beautiful art. Cut some celery and rub it in the paint. Stamp it onto a piece of white cardboard. The imprint left will be a great work of art!
Learn More: YouTube
22. Veggie Board Games
Apply a fantastic fruit twist to your regular classroom board games. You could get fruit/vegetable-themed games and have the kids gather to play. Improve their critical thinking and problem-solving skills with these games.
Learn More: YouTube
23. Veggie Bingo Game
Print out BINGO cards and call sheets for your class. Cut the sheets and put them in a container/cap and give each child one. Pick a caller and have them show a fruit/veggie to the class. If a child has the fruit on their card, they mark it. Once a kid completes the pattern you set, they win a BINGO!
Learn More: YouTube
24. Hot Potato Game
Gather your preschoolers in a circle. Play a cute song in the background and pass a potato around. Remain by the music controller to play/stop the music at random intervals. The person with the hot potato either drops out of the game or answers a fruit/veggie-related question correctly.
Learn More: YouTube
25. Fruit Vs. Veggie Polls
Create fun and exciting surveys about fruits and vegetables. Help the kids draw up simple polls about what fruits and vegetable people prefer and record as here.
Learn More: YouTube
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