A sorting activity helps preschoolers practice basic skills like comparing, contrasting and grouping, as they learn to identify healthy foods.
In this kind of activity, the teacher gives preschoolers two buckets or boxes and a collection of play foods or food cutouts from magazines. The students place all the healthy foods into one box and all of the unhealthy foods into the other. They explain as they go, why one food is healthy and one isn't. The teacher sits with them during the activity to help them make educated decisions about the foods they sort.
Jumping rope is one of the best ways for keeping kids in shape. Children can engage in healthy competition with a jump rope contest. Many preschoolers may not know how to jump rope, so the teacher will have to take some time showing them the ropes, so to speak.
Once all children are comfortable, they can compete against one another or try to beat their own personal time or number of consecutive jumps. During these activities, the children can track their progress on a class chart.
Another aspect of health education at a young age is personal hygiene. Kids can practice singing the alphabet song as they wash their hands, to make sure they have spent enough time soaping and rinsing to get germs off of their skin.
They can also make bathroom posters for their homes as a reminder of all the steps they need to take during their morning and evening routines. They can use drawings and magazine cutouts to make a list of tasks to complete, such as brushing teeth and flossing.