MyPlate Lesson Plan MyPlate, My Day!
Kindergarten • 30 Minutes • Nutrition & Health
Healthy Start
Why It Matters
Understanding healthy eating habits at a young age is crucial for lifelong wellness. This lesson empowers students to make smart food choices and build balanced meals.
Preparation
Review the Slide Deck and Script .
Set up MyPlate intro video (Teacher choice).
Print & cut Food Cards .
Print Coloring Worksheets .
Gather crayons/markers.
Prep Time: 15 Mins
Materials
Slide Deck
Intro Video
Sorting Cards
Coloring Sheet
Objective
Students will be able to identify the five MyPlate food groups, provide an example for each, and understand the importance of eating a variety of foods for a healthy body.
Lesson Flow
5m
Warm-Up: What Did You Eat?
Discuss favorite snacks and breakfast. Ask: "Why is it important to eat food?" to spark interest in nutrition.
5m
Introducing MyPlate
Use the Slide Deck to introduce the five groups. Explain that MyPlate is our guide for growing strong every day.
5m
MyPlate Video Fun
Play a teacher-provided MyPlate video. Have students look for different foods and spot which groups they belong to.
10m
Food Group Sorting Activity
Hands-on sorting! Guide students as they place food cards into the correct MyPlate groups. Discuss examples together.
5m
Creative MyPlate Coloring
Students color existing foods on the worksheet and draw one new favorite for each group. Review the "rainbow" concept.
MyPlate Slide Deck MyPlate, My Day!
Eating healthy for a happy you!
What is MyPlate?
A guide to healthy eating !
Shows us what foods to eat everyday to stay strong .
Fruits
Veggies
Grains
Protein
Dairy
Teacher Note: Explain that MyPlate is like a guide to help us eat different kinds of foods to grow strong and healthy.
The Fruit Group!
Yummy fruits give us energy !
Examples:
Apples & Bananas
Berries & Oranges
🍎 🍌 🍓 🍊
Teacher Note: Talk about different fruits, their colors, and how they taste. Ask students for their favorite fruits.
The Vegetable Group!
Crunchy veggies keep us healthy !
Examples:
Carrots & Broccoli
Spinach & Corn
🥕 🥦 🌽 🥗
Teacher Note: Discuss various vegetables, their textures, and how they help our bodies. Ask for vegetable examples.
The Grains Group!
Grains give us power to play !
Examples:
Bread & Rice
Pasta & Oatmeal
🍞 🍚 🍝 🥣
Teacher Note: Explain that grains give us energy. Talk about bread, rice, and pasta.
The Protein Group!
Proteins build strong muscles !
Examples:
Chicken & Fish
Beans, Eggs & Nuts
🍗 🐟 🫘 🍳
Teacher Note: Introduce protein foods and explain they help build strong muscles. Give examples like chicken, beans, and nuts.
The Dairy Group!
Dairy for super strong bones !
Examples:
🥛 🧀 🍦 🥣
Teacher Note: Talk about dairy for strong bones. Mention milk, cheese, and yogurt.
Why MyPlate is Important!
Eating from all groups helps us:
Grow big and strong!
Have lots of energy!
Stay healthy and happy!
Teacher Note: Summarize why it's important to eat from all groups for a balanced diet.
Time for a Video!
Let's watch a fun video about MyPlate and all the amazing foods!
Teacher: Embed video here or play external link.
Teacher Note: Announce the video and get students excited to watch and learn more about MyPlate.
Let's Sort Our Food!
Now, let's put our food knowledge to the test! We'll sort different foods into their MyPlate groups!
Teacher Note: Transition to the sorting activity. Explain that they will be sorting food cards into the correct MyPlate groups.
MyPlate Script MyPlate, My Day! Script
Facilitator Guide • Instructional Dialogue
Warm-Up 5 Minutes
Topic: What Did You Eat?
Teacher: Good morning, wonderful food explorers! Let's start our day by thinking about some yummy food. Can anyone tell me what they had for breakfast this morning? Or maybe a favorite snack you love to eat?
Teacher: Those all sound delicious! We eat food every single day. Why do you think it's important to eat food? What does food do for our bodies?
Teacher: That's right! Food helps us grow big and strong, gives us energy to play, and keeps us healthy. Today, we're going to learn about a super special guide that helps us pick the best foods to keep our bodies happy and healthy!
Instruction 5 Minutes
Introducing MyPlate
Display Slide 1: MyPlate, My Day!
Teacher: Our special guide is called MyPlate! It helps us understand what kinds of foods we should eat every day to be our best selves.
Display Slide 2: What is MyPlate?
Teacher: Look at this plate! It's divided into different sections, and each section represents a different group of food. Eating from all these groups helps us get all the good things our bodies need.
Go through Slides 3-7, introducing each food group.
Teacher: This is the Fruits Group ! What are some fruits you love to eat? (Pause for answers)
Teacher: Next, we have the Vegetables Group ! What are your favorite veggies? (Pause for answers)
Teacher: Here are the Grains Group foods! Who can name a food from this group? (Pause for answers)
Teacher: This is the Protein Group ! Foods like chicken, fish, and beans help build strong muscles. What are some protein foods you like? (Pause for answers)
Teacher: And finally, the Dairy Group ! These foods help make our bones super strong. What dairy foods do you enjoy? (Pause for answers)
Display Slide 8: Why MyPlate is Important!
Teacher: So, why do we learn about MyPlate? Because eating a variety of foods from all these groups helps us grow big and strong, have lots of energy to play, and stay healthy and happy!
Video 5 Minutes
Display Slide 9: Time for a Video!
Teacher: Now, let's watch a super fun video that will tell us even more about MyPlate and all these amazing foods! Pay close attention and see if you can spot foods from each group!
Food Group Sorting Activity Food Group Sorting
Print, cut, and sort! 30 Food Cards for Kindergarten.
Teacher: Print and cut these cards. Have students sort them into Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Protein, and Dairy.
🍎 Apple
🍌 Banana
🍓 Strawberry
🍊 Orange
🍇 Grapes
🍉 Watermelon
🥦 Broccoli
🥕 Carrot
🌽 Corn
🍃 Spinach
🍅 Tomato
🫑 Bell Pepper
🍞 Bread
🍚 Rice
🍝 Pasta
🥣 Oatmeal
🍘 Cracker
🥣 Cereal
🍗 Chicken
🐟 Fish
🍳 Egg
🫘 Beans
🥜 Peanut Butter
🧊 Tofu
🥛 Milk
🧀 Cheese
🥣 Yogurt Cup
🍦 Ice Cream
🥣 Cottage Cheese
🧈 Butter
MyPlate Coloring Worksheet MyPlate, My Day!
Healthy Eating Worksheet
Name:
Date:
1. Color the foods on the plate! 2. Draw one more favorite for each group!
Fruits
🍎🍌
Veggies
🥕🥦
Grains
🍞🍚
Protein
🍗🍳
Dairy
🥛
My Favorite Fruit
My Favorite Veggie
My Favorite Grain
My Favorite Protein
My Favorite Dairy
"I eat a rainbow of foods every day!"