Increase Engagement with a Healthful Eating Pattern Game

We're all familiar with the benefits of building a healthful eating pattern, but sometimes actually executing on that plan is easier said than done. Make a healthful eating pattern more compelling with this fun game that kids and adults alike will enjoy! Food Group Tag! Here's how you play... Game Setup: Divide your group into two separate teams. One team needs to have five people. These are the taggers, who will work together to tag everyone in the other group. Assign each tagger one of the following food groups...

• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Grains
• Protein
• Dairy

Everyone who is not a tagger is an empty serving. Each empty serving can work as a free agent. Their goal is to avoid the taggers. Explain that the taggers are seeking food groups to make a healthful plate. If an empty serving gets tagged, he or she must freeze in place and announce their new food group (determined by the tagger, who represents one of the 5 food groups), and then think of a healthful food that fits that group, which they then announce as well. The taggers must work together to create a balanced plate (so don't let one tagger go crazy and tag all the empty servings, claiming them for a single food group). Game Play: Set a timer for four minutes and move your group to a location that's conducive to running around. Taggers must line up shoulder-to-shoulder. Arrange the empty servings five feet in front of the tagger line. Once “go” is called, the empty servings must evade the taggers for four minutes. Once the game time is finished, “stop” must be called. At that point, everyone freezes. Have the untagged empty servings move to one side of the game area, then arrange the tagged empty servings into their food groups. Did the taggers craft a balanced plate? Why or why not? If the taggers managed to create a balanced plate, then they win. If the empty servings threw off the balance, then they win instead. This active game offers a fun way to visualize a healthful eating pattern while providing an opportunity for some light physical activity as well. Game created by Sean Tuohy