Celebrate the New Year With Food
New Year’s Food Traditions
From black eyed peas and collard greens, to grapes, pomegranates, and long noodles, around the world foods symbolize new life, good health, and prosperity for the new year.
Spread Wellness in the Community
It is time to get creative and help your neighborhood. We are always stronger together and it is important to stay connected and be positive.
As a class or a family, spread some joy in your community or at your school, with an idea below.
- Use sidewalk chalk to make a hopscotch on a sidewalk to promote physical activity.
- Share a healthy recipe with a friend or neighbor.
- Volunteer to clean an outside area.
- Donate a book to a community book site or little library.
- Start a walking club.
More Activities to Explore
What is wellness and why is it important?
Wellness is defined as the state of being in good health. Good health includes your physical body and your mental health. It is important to take time to check in on yourself. Celebrate what is working and set goals for change .
Icebreaker Activity- Pose the question to children, "How can you be your best you?" Share responses and then create a word wall of vocabulary words that kids can associate with wellness. Display the words and welcome children to work in groups or individually to write a Wellness Poem. Consider using a jamboard and creating a display to welcome wellness every day in your learning space.
Conversation Starters
Think about what parts of a plant you eat. Did you know some plant parts are called Super Foods because they are packed with the vitamins and nutrients our bodies use to stay healthy?
- How might healthy eating now help your body in the future?
- If your school installed a new snack machine and you were given the job to stock it with ten healthy snacks, what would they be? How would they help students throughout the day?
- Imagine you are an apple and you are trying to convince someone that you are the best snack to help nourish someone's brain and body. What would you say? Be descriptive.
- Number your paper from 1 to 10. Write ten words that come to your mind when you describe a healthy lifestyle. Can you turn your words into a poem?
- Relaxation plays a role in being healthy. Our bodies need time to relax. What are some ways that children can relax that do not involve technology?
Book Recommendations
Here are a few book suggestions to encourage wellness in 2022.
- Try It! How Frieda Chaplan Changed the Way We Eat by Mara Rockliff can be enjoyed by children of all ages. This book tells the story of Frieda Chaplan, an American businesswoman who found successful ways to introduce new fruits and vegetables to America.
- I Can Eat a Rainbow by Olena Rose is a classic young children's book that introduces all the ways to include fruits and vegetables into a daily diet.
- The Busy Body Book by Lizzy Rockwell is an informative book for children about why fitness and healthy habits are important for their bodies.
- Yummy Yoga by Joy Bauer is a playful spin on yoga and eating healthy. Challenge children to try yoga poses to calm and strengthen their bodies. Add some fun to the yoga adventures by trying one of the fruit or vegetable yoga dishes. Kids will love to use their creativity to make a yoga treat of their own.
Find Your New Year Superfood!
Use our Welcoming Wellness Inspiration Board to explore trying new superfoods. Superfoods are nutrient-rich foods that are extra beneficial for health and well-being. Print the inspiration board and you can display it and check things off as you go. Download it and discover ways to engage your taste buds and your mind by clicking on each picture or word. Once downloaded, each image is linked to a recipe or story and each word is linked to an activity or craft. Click here to download your copy!
Share your adventures with us!
Share what you learned or created from any of our activities on our social media! We’d also love to hear your ideas for what other content you’d like to see from TWKatHome. Share with us on Facebook (@TasteWiseKids) or Instagram (@tastewise_kids) and use the hashtags #TWKatHome and #myTWKsalad, or email info@tastewisekids.org.
