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Health & Wellness

Materials:

Purple flower

Groceries

Your Child Will Learn

To sort foods into groups.

Here's What To Do

1

Invite your child to help you put groceries away.

2

Give them instructions and guidance to help them sort the foods as they go along.

  • For example, sort foods into fruits and vegetables in one place and grains in another.
3

Show your child the places the different types of food go in your kitchen, (such as the refrigerator, drawers or cupboard) and let them help you put them away.

4

Make this a regular game that you do when you shop, and watch their food knowledge grow!

Mother and child play together (animated).

Put PEER Into Action

P

Pause:

  • Stand in the kitchen together for a moment when you return from shopping facing one another.
E

Engage:

  • “Let’s sort or group the foods so we know where to find different kinds.”
  • “Put all the fruits in this part of the fridge. Let’s put the seeds like these pumpkin seeds in the cupboard.”
E

Encourage:

  • Help your child get started by sorting the foods together before you put them away.
  • “You’re doing a great job noticing the different foods and grouping them together!”
R

Reflect:

  • “Do you prefer fruits or vegetables? Why?”

Not quite ready?

Ask your child to group familiar foods like familiar fruits. Then, name and describe unfamiliar foods for them as you sort and put the groceries away together.

Ready for more?

Talk about the different places foods come from. You can even choose a food to research and learn more about.

Variable color muffin tins (animated)

As your child masters this skill...

They will be able to classify foods by food groups.

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