Nutrition and Hydration Week | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with Nutrition and Hydration Week. For official information, themes, and resources, please visit the Nutrition and Hydration Week website: www.nutritionandhydrationweek.co.uk.

Understanding Nutrition and Hydration Week in EYFS & KS1

Let's learn all about super food and wonderful water to help our bodies grow big and strong! 🍎💧 Nutrition and Hydration Week is an annual event in the UK that highlights and promotes the vital importance of food and drink in health and social care. It aims to educate and raise awareness among healthcare professionals, patients, and the public about how crucial good nutrition (eating well) and hydration (drinking enough water) are for our overall well-being and for helping us get better when we're poorly. While this week has a special focus on healthcare settings, its main message about healthy eating and drinking is important for everyone!

For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this week provides a fantastic and practical theme for exploring healthy eating, personal care, the human body, understanding the world (science and health), and personal, social & emotional development (PSED). It's about introducing children to the concepts of balanced diets and the necessity of water for their growing bodies and busy brains. This week offers wonderful planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about health and self-care both essential and delicious!

Why Is Learning About Nutrition & Hydration Important for Young Children?

Integrating Nutrition and Hydration Week and lessons about healthy eating and drinking water into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) lays the foundation for lifelong healthy habits and understanding self-care.

• Supports Growth & Development: Teaches children that food and water are the fuel their bodies need to grow, learn, and play.

• Promotes Healthy Habits: Encourages them to make good food choices and drink enough water, establishing routines for long-term health.

• Empowerment & Independence: Gives children knowledge and skills to make informed choices about what they eat and drink.

• Understanding the Body: Helps children understand how different foods and drinks affect their energy levels, concentration, and overall health.

• Reduces Health Risks: Lays the groundwork for preventing issues related to poor diet and dehydration later in life.

Engaging Nutrition & Hydration Activities for EYFS & KS1 (0-7 Year Olds)

Let's become healthy heroes for Nutrition and Hydration Week with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on tasting, exploring, and learning about super foods and wonderful water! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by our extensive 'Food' and 'Water' resources, as well as broader 'The Human Body' and 'Healthcare' themed materials.

Here's some inspiration for celebrating healthy eating and drinking in your setting: (Please use your own discretion and knowledge of your children to ensure appropriateness of each activity and safety concerning any materials given and activity undertaken.)

• Fruit and Vegetable Exploration:

  • Create a vibrant display with 'Fruit and Vegetables' Banner', 'Fruit & Vegetables - Fruit Posters', and 'Fruit & Vegetables - Vegetable Posters'.

  • Let children explore real fruits and vegetables using their senses (touch, smell, sight, taste!). Use 'Fruit & Vegetables - A4 Posters/Cards' and 'Fruit & Vegetables - A4 Colouring Sheets'.

  • Engage in sorting activities with 'Fruit & Vegetable 2-Piece Puzzles' and 'Fruit and Vegetable Size Ordering Cards'.

  • Play a game with 'Fruit & Vegetables - Description Match Game/Activity'.

  • Use 'Fruit & Vegetable Pom Pom Mats', 'Fruit and Vegetables Number/Counting Multimats - Playdough, Whiteboard & Pen or Loose Parts', 'Fruit and Vegetable Loose Part Mats - Playdough, Loose Parts, Art & Craft', 'Carrot Create & Count Playdough Mats', and 'Tomato Create & Count Playdough Mats' for hands-on, multi-sensory learning.

• Healthy Eating Discussions:

  • Introduce the concept of a balanced diet using 'Healthy Eating - Display Banner' and 'Healthy Plate - Balanced Diet Posters'.

  • Challenge children to 'Draw a Healthy Meal'.

  • Discuss the importance of "5 a day" using the '5 a Day - Poster/Chart'.

  • Talk about healthy and unhealthy snacks using 'Healthy & Unhealthy Snack Sorting Activity'.

  • Explain why too much sugar isn't good for us with 'Don't Eat Too Much Sugar!' Poster' and 'Don't Eat Too Much Sugar!' Colouring'.

  • Encourage children to record what they eat with 'My Healthy Eating Diary Booklet' and 'Fruit & Vegetable Diary'.

• Wonderful Water Activities:

  • Create a display about water's importance using 'Wonderful Water! Display'.

  • Use 'Heat Health - 'Drink Some Water' Visual Communication Aid' and 'Heat Health - 'Drink Some Water' Reminder Wristbands' to encourage regular sips of water throughout the day.

  • Discuss how water helps our bodies work (e.g., helping kidneys, keeping us cool).

• Role Play & Connections:

  • Set up a 'Farm Shop Role-Play Pack' to explore where food comes from.

  • Connect to healthcare professionals through role-play using 'Doctor's Surgery Role-Play Pack', 'Dentist Dramatic Role-Play Pack', and 'Optometrist Dramatic Role-Play Pack'.

  • Explore how stories like 'The Enormous Turnip' ('The Enormous Turnip - Display Banner & Characters', 'The Enormous Turnip - Sentence Illustration') celebrate vegetables and working together. Other tales like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, The Gingerbread Man, and The Little Red Hen can be linked to food and healthy choices (e.g., porridge, beans, grandmother's treats, baking).

• Literacy and Numeracy with Food & Drink:

  • Use 'Fruit & Vegetable Number Slice Puzzles (1-5 & 1-10)' and 'Fruit & Vegetable Number Slice Puzzles - Colour Cut Stick' for maths.

• Explore More: Visit our key topic pages: ‘Food’, ‘The Human Body’, ‘The Enormous Turnip’, and ‘Water’. Also, explore relevant and connected themes like ‘Gardening’, ‘On the Farm’, ‘Plants’, ‘Teddy Bears' Picnic’.

These activities offer great inspiration for making Nutrition and Hydration Week a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering healthy habits, understanding of the human body, and self-care skills.

To explore ideas surrounding additional early years events, please visit our 'Special Dates Calendar' page.

Printable resources to support teaching & learning surrounding: ‘Nutrition and Hydration Week’

‘The Human Body’ educational resources for EYFS and KS1:

Key ‘Nutrition’ & ‘Hydration’ educational resources topic pages for EYFS and KS1:

‘Healthcare’ related role play packs for Early Years Nurseries, Classrooms, Preschools & Childminders:

Additional Pages you may like to explore which cover relevant &/or Connected themes

Themes connected to ‘Nutrition’ and ‘Hydration’ which you may like to explore with your children:

‘Healthcare’ related themes:

(For a comprehensive collection of healthcare teaching and learning resources, please visit our ‘Medicine’, ‘The Human Body’, ‘Exercise’, ‘Handwashing & Hygiene’, ‘Eye Health’, ‘Teeth & Oral Health’, ‘Food’ (Fruit & Vegetables plus Balanced Diet), ‘Mental Health’, ‘Sun Safety’ or ‘Science’ pages.)

More Early Years Event Pages for March

Explore special dates (including awareness dates, festivals, celebrations & events) relevant to your EYFS & KS1 children

Browse our ‘Special Dates Calendar’ page using the link below. You’ll find calendars for every month of the year to aid your planning!

SEARCH ‘LITTLE OWLS Resources’ USING THE FOLLOWING MENU BUTTONS…

Disclaimer:
This page is for educational purposes only and is intended to support early years and primary practitioners with ideas and resources related to 'Nutrition and Hydration Week'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by the organisers of Nutrition and Hydration Week. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this event. For official information, themes, and to learn more about the importance of nutrition and hydration in health and social care, please visit their website at www.nutritionandhydrationweek.co.uk.