Healthy Eating Charts for Kids
Many moons ago one of my healthy-eating sisters had this idea for a fridge-chart to encourage kids to eat more healthy foods each day. I ran with that idea and eventually came up with this next set of free downloads.
{There are 2 downloads links… click on the main chart images to download the zipped folders … or find the download links at the bottom of this post}
This chart is especially for Littles (age 2-5). The idea is to encourage them to eat various healthy foods each day. I laminated the 8×10 chart. Laminated all the 4×6 food circle sheets, trimmed them to circles. You can attach the circles to the chart once the child has tried that food. Use mounting putty or velcro dots to attach the circles. Every day… or every meal (whichever applies!) remove the circles and start over.
My kids enjoyed finding the food circle and sticking it on. This system helped my 3-year-old try Quinoa (this was a HUGE deal!!!) It helps us keep things positive and fun at dinner-time.
I soon realized that many circles of food and many children = lots of possible circles on the floor + not enough circles of same foods for my 6 kids unless I printed them each a set which = yet, even more circles all over my house. So… to simplify (and also for use for my older tweens), I included our most-likely-to-eat foods on one chart. I laminated these charts and we can use wet-erase markers or stickers to mark foods eaten for the day/week.
I would recommend using these charts for a few weeks at a time when your kids need a little extra encouragement to eat those healthy foods! Long-term, I imagine they will lose their zest and become monotonous for little kiddos. So… hide them away, and bring them out in a few months when fresh produce is available in-season.
Free Download links:
8×10 Super Food Chart for All Ages (Little circles)
8×10 Super Food Chart for Littles (ages 2-5)
*** Thanks to Kate Hadfield for the Doodle People and accompanying images. She has given me permission to share these as a freebie with ya’ll. Thanks Kate! (p.s. Go check out all her cute doodle images that have oodles of uses!)
*Disclaimer… I realize this is not a complete list of healthy foods… and perhaps some would disagree on how healthy some are. If you find you need other foods, I have included a few extra blank large circles so you can add your own foods that fit your family’s health needs and wants. Please share ideas in the comments and perhaps I’ll make a version 2 to share.
Go Forth and Eat Well!
These are simply DARLING Heather! Thanks so much for sharing your talents. I would love to learn from you someday!! 🙂
My 4 year old super hero obsessed son will love these!
Hi Heather –
I just wanted you to know that I printed out your chart, slipped it into one of those plastic pages that go in a 3-ring binder, and have been having my daughter use a dry-erase marker to circle the three main ingredients she wants to eat for every meal we make. She has to circle a vegetable, a grain, and a protein (we’re mostly vegan so I added some things like tofu and lentils). I then look through my recipes until I find something with those three ingredients and that’s what I make for dinner. IT HAS BEEN LIFE CHANGING. We haven’t had an argument about the food on her plate in TWO MONTHS! She eats everything without complaint (I do still leave her food separated out because she’s at that stage where she hates things being mixed together), but I make one meal for everyone and our dinner table has become peaceful once again. So thank you thank you thank you, from Finn and from me:o).
~Jeanette
thanks for this great activity