Preschoolers seem to seep energy out of every pore on their rapidly growing bodies. One way to make sure these bundles of energy stay healthy is to instill good eating habits – and the earlier, the better.

"Teaching nutrition in preschool is crucial," says Vanessa Levin, a pre-kindergarten teacher in Dallas, Texas. "The earlier we can reach children and help change their food choices the better off they will be in the long run. Preschoolers are very resilient by nature; they can make these types of changes in their diet at an early age because they haven't become ‘set in their ways’ like so many older children and adults."

Food Comes to Life
The Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children is a helpful and fun tool for parents to use to introduce proper nutrition and the foods that should be included in a healthy, well-rounded diet. Explaining nutrition – or anything for that matter – to a 3- to 5-year-old can be a challenge. But introduce it with colorful images and a side of fun, and watch what happens.

"The food pyramid works well because it is a visual, proportional guide to a healthful diet," says Connie Liakos Evers, M.S., R.D., child nutrition consultant and author of How to Teach Nutrition to Kids (24 Carrot Press, 1995). "Even before children can grasp the concept of food groups, they can still look at the graphic and understand that we need more of certain foods and less of other foods. It gives kids a framework for understanding the concepts of good nutrition."

The breakfast table is a good place to begin. "Since the pyramid is often on cereal boxes and other packages, sitting at the table might be a good place to start," says Evers, who also promotes good nutrition on her Web site, nutritionforkids.com. "Children do need to understand that all five major groups are equally important – we just need different amounts of each of the groups. Just as the ‘tip’ is a small piece of the pyramid, the foods in the tip (sweets and fats) should make up a small part of our daily diet."

Once the concept of food groups is grasped, serving sizes can be demonstrated, which is a concept that even some adults are still confused by. "Most Americans are suffering from serving size distortion, so it is important to have a basic concept of serving sizes," says Evers. "Interestingly, the serving sizes don't vary much at all from the adult pyramid. From a practical standpoint, it is important to encourage children (and adults, for that matter) to start with a small portion and eat according to hunger."

A Nutritional Role Model
While teaching the Food Pyramid is a fun way to introduce the concept of eating healthy, being a good nutrition role model is critical in forming an environment that promotes healthful food choices. "The best way to teach your child as she grows is to be a good role model for healthful eating and offer mostly nutritious food choices," says Evers.

It is also important to involve young children in food-related activities and use a "hands-on" approach. "The best way to learn about good nutrition is through experience with food," says Evers. "Shopping for food, comparing labels, trying new recipes, learning to understand food advertising and growing a garden are just a few of the many ways kids can begin to discover the world of food."

Levin agrees. "Take your child to the grocery store with you and have him help you pick out the vegetables," she says. "Allow your child to be involved in the preparation of the vegetables, washing, peeling, etc." And children are more likely to eat their vegetables if they see their parents eating them. "Make sure you eat them in front of your child and talk about them as you do, ‘Mmmm, this broccoli is so fresh and green’ or ‘This is the sweetest corn I've ever tasted.’"

Getting Hands-On
Children will embrace the Food Pyramid and be entertained at the same time with these fun activities:

Flash Cards
You’ll need:

• Blank index cards (no lines)
• Crayons, markers
• Old magazines
• Blunt scissors
• Glue stick

Have your child draw pictures of different food items on one side of the index cards. Or, help her cut pictures of food out of magazines and then glue on the cards. There are several ways to use these cards:

• 1. Have your child sort them in stacks according to their food group.
• 2. Hold the cards up one at a time and have her tell you the food group.
• 3. Make lines under the picture or on the back of the card and help her write in the name of the item (a great way to practice letters and reading).
• 4. Put the cards in a brown bag and have them reach in and select three or four. Lay the cards out in front of her and have her make up a story about the items she selected. (Have you heard the one about the chicken nugget and broccoli spear that ran away with the Swiss cheese?)

Pyramid People Project
You’ll need:

• Construction paper
• Blunt scissors
• Crayons or markers
• Glue

Help your child cut a large pyramid body out of white construction paper. Next, cut out a "head" for the top of the pyramid. Help your child trace his hands and feet and cut them out. Glue the head, hands and feet to the pyramid "body."

Give your child crayons or markers and let him draw a face and add features to the head, hands and feet. Now comes the fun part! First, help your child draw lines to represent the sections on the Food Pyramid. Let him draw foods he enjoys eating in the appropriate sections. When he’s done, discuss the different foods he drew, then hang the creation on the refrigerator to remind him – and you – to make healthy food choices.

Food Tally Chart
You’ll need:

• Construction paper
• Blunt scissors
• Markers or crayons
• Small stickers (stars in a variety of colors work well)

Cut a pyramid shape out of construction paper. Have your child draw a picture of each food group, or write the food groups on the appropriate sections of the pyramid, drawing lines to divide. Put the chart on the refrigerator.

After each meal and snack, have your child place stickers on the appropriate spaces of the pyramid to show the groups of foods she just ate. Ask your child where the sticker should go. If she’s right, let her place a sticker on the chart. If she’s not, explain why and then show and explain the right food groups. Use a different color sticker for each day. At the end of the day/week, take down the chart and talk about what changes, if any, should be made to her diet and why. (This is a great tool for adults, too!)

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