Playful Learning at the Kitchen Table

by Daniel W. Hatcher View Bio

Daniel W. Hatcher

Daniel W. Hatcher is the Director of Community Partnerships at the Alliance for a Healthier Generation where he has served since 2008. At Healthier Generation, Daniel oversees out-of-school time partnerships and manages technical assistance services and resources for before and after school and summer programs as they work to achieve national standards for healthy eating and physical activity. Daniel also serves on the leadership team for the Healthy Out-of-School Time Coalition – a national collective of youth serving organizations advancing health and wellness. Daniel has a BA in International Relations and a Masters of Public Health, both from Western Kentucky University. You can follow Daniel as he speaks across the country on the topic of healthy communities via Twitter @hatchdw.

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation believes every child deserves a healthy future. Play is a powerful tool to help children develop lifelong healthy habits and inclusive cooperative play creates a positive social and emotional climate, essential for learning.

Whether you’re sitting in your kitchen, at a picnic table or on a blanket in your nearby park, there are many opportunities to play while encouraging children to try healthier foods. Below are a few simple ideas and resources from Healthier Generation and our partners.

• Take your child on a farmer’s market scavenger hunt and find round fruits of different sizes. Once you get home, gather your favorite art supplies and work together to draw a solar system. Have your child place the fruit on the planets according to size. Learn more activity ideas in our guide, STEM & Wellness: A Powerful Equation for Equity.


• Let your child be a game show host for the morning! Compare and contrast different vegetables and peeled or unpeeled fruit. Play a few rounds of “Will it Float?”  Then, make a healthy snack together using Healthier Generation Smart Foods Planner recipes.


• Inspire curiosity with a seasonal fruit and vegetable taste test led by children (it’s perfect for older siblings). Have children use emojis to indicate if they “like it” or “don’t like it, yet!” Our friends at USDA Team Nutrition have even more resources to get young children trying new fruits and veggies.


• Teach patience and edible gardening skills by helping your child grow their own glass jar of lentil sprouts or growing celery from a stalk. Make it a weekend of fun by inviting children to celery stamp their own colorful placemats.


• Encourage nature exploration that everyone can enjoy by making bird seed ornaments as a family. Then, head outside and see which feathered friends arrive for a snack. For more ideas and printable fun, download the BirdSleuth Explorer’s Guidebook.


• Time around the kitchen table is an important opportunity to disconnect from digital devices to connect, play and learn with your child. If you’re struggling to get the conversation started, create your own list of playful questions. Here’s an example, “If you could float around in space, what toy or game would you like to play?”

To learn more, visit healthiergeneration.org and read my recent blog article, Healthy Kids on a Budget: Discount Store Scavenger Hunt.

• Print
• |
• Share