NutriPlay™ Pyramid to Plate™ Activity Instructions
It’s a race to fill your plate with healthy foods from each food group!
Test your students’ knowledge of the food pyramid with this interactive game that emphasizes the various food groups and a balanced diet. Includes 6 dinner plate mats, 120 food group beanbags, 2 Junk Food and 2 Healthy Food pinnies, storage bag, and game instructions with game play variations.
Equipment
34-116 Pyramid to Plate™
Be the first team to fill up your plate with the recommended servings in each food group.
Directions
Setup. Game can be played on any gym floor. Scatter the beanbags face-up on the floor within a designated area (use boundary lines on
gym floor or spot markers to designate playing area). Position the six dinner plate mats along one side of the playing area or surrounding
the playing area. Teams will gather behind their team’s dinner plate mat, so ensure there is enough space for each player.
Game Play. To begin, designate two students as Junk Food taggers and two students as Healthy Food taggers with the included
pinnies. Divide the remaining students into six teams. Teams gather in a line behind their team’s dinner plate mat. The Junk Food and
Healthy Food taggers will gather in the center of the game play area. When the game begins, one player from each team runs toward
the center to collect a beanbag, then returns it to their team’s dinner plate mat and places it in the appropriate food group. The next
player then runs out to collect another beanbag. If, however, the player is tagged by a Junk Food tagger while gathering a beanbag, that
player must drop their beanbag and freeze until tagged by a Healthy Food tagger. Once unfrozen, they can collect another beanbag and
return it to their team’s dinner plate mat. The first team to fill up their plate with the recommended servings in each food group wins.
Options
Add your own ideas! If you develop an activity that works well, please share your idea with us at Gopher.
Test your students’ knowledge of the food pyramid with this interactive game that emphasizes the various food groups and a balanced diet. Includes 6 dinner plate mats, 120 food group beanbags, 2 Junk Food and 2 Healthy Food pinnies, storage bag, and game instructions with game play variations.
Equipment
34-116 Pyramid to Plate™
- Set of 6 Dinner Plate Mats
- 120 Food Group Beanbags
- 2 Junk Food Pinnies
- 2 Healthy Food Pinnies
- Storage Bag
Be the first team to fill up your plate with the recommended servings in each food group.
Directions
Setup. Game can be played on any gym floor. Scatter the beanbags face-up on the floor within a designated area (use boundary lines on
gym floor or spot markers to designate playing area). Position the six dinner plate mats along one side of the playing area or surrounding
the playing area. Teams will gather behind their team’s dinner plate mat, so ensure there is enough space for each player.
Game Play. To begin, designate two students as Junk Food taggers and two students as Healthy Food taggers with the included
pinnies. Divide the remaining students into six teams. Teams gather in a line behind their team’s dinner plate mat. The Junk Food and
Healthy Food taggers will gather in the center of the game play area. When the game begins, one player from each team runs toward
the center to collect a beanbag, then returns it to their team’s dinner plate mat and places it in the appropriate food group. The next
player then runs out to collect another beanbag. If, however, the player is tagged by a Junk Food tagger while gathering a beanbag, that
player must drop their beanbag and freeze until tagged by a Healthy Food tagger. Once unfrozen, they can collect another beanbag and
return it to their team’s dinner plate mat. The first team to fill up their plate with the recommended servings in each food group wins.
Options
- Play for a designated time (using a timer or music) instead of playing until the first team fills up their plate. The team with the most balanced plate when time runs out wins.
- Adapt the number of Junk Food and Healthy Food taggers to make it more or less challenging (for instance, use two Junk Food taggers and only one Healthy Food tagger for a more challenging game).
- For younger students, place the beanbags face-down so only the NutriPlay™ logo is visible. The logo is printed in the corresponding food group’s color, so students will gather beanbags based on the food group color rather than the specific food printed on the opposite side of the beanbag.
- Increase the activity level by having students skip, jump, walk backwards, etc., on their way to collect and return the beanbag. This activity can be changed throughout the game by announcing the new activity.
- When players are frozen by a Junk Food tagger, designate an exercise activity for them to do until they are freed by a Healthy Food tagger.
- Incorporate Gopher scooters into the game. Players will use their team’s scooter to collect and return beanbags from the center of the gym. Each Junk Food tagger and Healthy Food tagger will also have a scooter.
Add your own ideas! If you develop an activity that works well, please share your idea with us at Gopher.