The magic of storytelling

23/07/2015 Advice for teachers, Crunch&Sip

Stories are a great way to get the healthy eating message across to students. Try reading a story about balance, portions, fruit and veg and health during Crunch&Sip time or include books on these themes in your class library. You can even use them as the basis for a classroom activity that meets English or Visual Arts curriculum outcomes.

Healthy Kids has hand-picked our top 7 books on healthy eating:

  1. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss is a classic. This book is all about giving new foods a go. Suitable from ES1 through to S2 depending on how it is used.
  2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. A well loved book that can be used to encourage eating to appetite and making choices that help us feel good. More suitable for ES1 but could be used as the basis for a visual arts activity in older stages.
  3. I’m Having a Rainbow for Dinner by NAQ Nutrition. This book encourages eating lots of different coloured fruit and vegetables. It includes activities and recipes and is suitable for students from ES1 and S1.
  4. The Magic Lunchbox written by Angela Barrett and illustrated by David Walsh was developed by Central Coast Health Promotion to educate kids on what goes in a healthy lunch box. It is suitable for ES1 and can be downloaded here. You may also be able to order a print copy through your Local Health District’s Health Promotion Officer.
  5. Oliver’s Vegetables and Oliver’s Fruit Salad both by Vivian French are a great way to talk about having a go at a wide variety of fruit and vegetables. Suitable for ES1 and S1.
  6. Tiddalick the Greedy Frog retold by Tracey Michele and illustrated by Andrew Trimmer is a classic Australian story about water. It can be used to encourage drinking water and is suitable for ES1 through to S2.
  7. Fight for Your Right to Fruit is a manga comic that is aimed at encouraging fruit consumption in older children (S3). It can be downloaded here.

If you know of any other great healthy eating storybooks for primary school children, please let us know at info@healthy-kids.com.au