Summary

Children will name and group vegetables and fruits that are part of Canada’s food guide according to their colour, shape, taste, and texture. They will create their own vegetable and fruit salad using real foods or an activity sheet.

Prep time

60 minutes

Activity duration

45 minutes

On this page

Learning goals

  • Name different vegetables and fruits.
  • Group and combine a variety of vegetables and fruits.

Materials

Part 1 – Name these veggies and fruits! materials

Part 2 – Create your own salad materials

For part 2 of the activity, decide whether to prepare a real salad or if you will use the Create your own salad cards with your group.

  • If preparing a salad, collect:
    • small bowls, 1 per child
    • large bowls, 1 per group
    • spoons or forks, 1 per child
    • large slotted spoons, 1 per group
    • a variety of fresh, frozen or canned vegetables or fruits
    • dressing, prepared with little to no added sodium, sugar, or saturated fat, to go with the salad
  • If preparing a salad using the cards, collect:

Planning considerations

Consider how much time you would like your group to spend on this activity. Part 1 and Part 2 can be completed on the same day or divided into 2 sessions.

Part 1 planning

  • Collect various vegetables and fruits, either real, play or print for Part 1 of the activity.
    • You can create food cards that reflect different varieties of vegetables and fruits.

Part 2 planning

Connecting to Canada’s food guide

Activity instructions

Engage

  • Show children the Canada’s food guide plate on the snapshot.
  • Ask:
    • What vegetables and fruits do you see on the plate?
    • What vegetables and fruits do you know that are not shown as examples on the plate?
  • When children identify a vegetable or fruit that is not on the plate, draw a picture of the vegetable or fruit on the chart paper, whiteboard or interactive whiteboard, and label it.
  • Introduce various ways vegetables and fruits can be grouped:
    • Size, for example:
      • broccoli and cauliflower are large; blueberries and green peas are small
    • Taste, for example:
      • lemons and limes are sour; strawberries and apples are sweet
    • Shape, for example:
      •  apples and plums are round; carrots and bananas are long
    • Feeling, for example:
      •  peaches and pears are soft; lettuce and carrots are hard
    • Colour, for example:
      • peppers and cabbages are red; spinach and peas are green
  • Use the vegetables and fruits from the Canada food guide snapshot or named by the children to discuss similar and different textures, tastes, colours and shapes. Ask children which vegetables and fruits are:
    • round, long or lumpy?
    • red, green, blue, or yellow?
    • sweet, sour or bitter?
    • big, small or medium sized?
  • Be mindful that children have varying access to food, including vegetables and fruits. Think about how sensitive this topic may be and approach it with care and compassion.

Explore

Part 1 – Name these veggies and fruits!

  • Review and follow food safety considerations throughout the activity.
  • Provide children with various vegetable and fruit items for grouping. Use real vegetables and fruits, play foods, or the Name these veggies and fruits! cards. Invite children to draw and cut out other vegetables and fruits.
  • Ask children to sort the food items into groups of their choice and identify how they are alike and different. For example:
    • all sweet but different sizes
    • all crunchy but different colours
    • all smooth but some are vegetables and some are fruits
  • Have children share with the group how they sorted and grouped their vegetables and fruits.
  • Remember to create a supportive environment for children to explore foods without judgment.

 

Part 2 – Create your own salad

  • Explain to children that they will create their own salad by combining vegetables and fruits that have different tastes, textures, colours and sizes.
  • Provide materials needed to create a vegetable and fruit salad using the Create your own salad cards or make a real salad.
  • If preparing a salad using the Create your own salad cards:
    • Provide each child with the Create your own salad cards and one bowl.
    • Explain to children that they will use the cards to create their own vegetable and fruit salad. Invite children to draw and cut out other vegetables and fruits they would like to add to their salad.
    • Children can cut and paste different vegetables and fruits into their bowl based on personal preference, whether or not they have tried them before.
    • Invite children to combine vegetables and fruits that they think would taste good together.
  •  If preparing a real vegetable and fruit salad:
    • Divide children into groups.
    • Ask them to wash their hands and their workspace before starting the activity.
    • Provide each group with a large bowl and a large slotted spoon.
    • Have children create their own salad with a variety of vegetables and fruit, fresh, frozen or canned, provide children with some dressing with little to no added sodium, sugar, or saturated fat, and give them the option to add it to their salad if they wish.
  • As children prepare their salad, whether on paper or with real food, invite them to use their senses to explore the food. Encourage them to:
    • observe the colours, shapes and sizes of the foods
    • smell or imagine the smell of the different foods they add to their salad
  • Discuss with children that other foods can be added to salad to help make the taste more interesting. For example:
    • beans
    • vinegar and oil
    • nuts and seeds

 Tip: Discussing nutrients is not a suitable activity. Keep the focus of the conversation on foods. Refer to the section on addressing highly processed foods for additional tips.

Explain

  • After children have completed their salad bowl, invite them to share what they created with the group. Ask them to share what they’ve decided to include in their salad and why. 
  • Remember to let the children decide if they want to try the salad and how much of it, if any, they want to eat.  It is important that the children not feel pressure to eat and to let them determine the way in which they want to eat. This can be slowly, nibbling, eating some or none of it.  
  • If a child decides that they do not wish to try the salad, you can invite them to politely decline by saying, “No, thank you.”
  • If a child tastes the food but finds it unappealing, show them how to politely put the bite in their napkin to compost.

Optional learning extension

Set up a kitchen centre with bowls, pots, spoons, and a variety of play or paper vegetables and fruits. Create simple recipes for fruit salad, vegetable salad or soup by putting pictures of ingredients on index cards.

Using play or paper food, children can choose a recipe and add the ingredients into a bowl or pot. For example, children can follow a soup recipe that includes potato, onion, carrot, celery. Children can use bowls and spoons to mix and prepare their creations.

If you have access to a real kitchen, consider bringing children there to support with preparing snacks and then eating them together, if they choose.

Toolkit for educators

More activities for ages 4 to 6

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