Food Groups and Healthy Plates word search, scramble and crossword puz

Food Groups and Healthy Plates word search, scramble and crossword puzzle

I made this food groups puzzle set for my 2nd and 3rd graders during our nutrition unit. The kids knew they should eat a variety of foods but had no idea what the five food groups were or what a balanced plate looked like. So I put together a word search, a word scramble, and a crossword using words like fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, dairy, balanced, plate, portion, variety, healthy, whole grains, lean meat, beans, nuts, milk, cheese, yogurt, water, and limit. Nothing fancy — just puzzles to help the food group names finally stick.

The PDF is four pages. Three puzzles plus one answer key page. The word search works well for quiet time after recess. The scramble gets them talking because they argue about whether cheese belongs in dairy or protein. The crossword I use for partners. I added a couple simple plate, fruit, and vegetable drawings but nothing too busy.

Works for 2nd through 4th grade. Print and go. Sometimes I have early finishers name one food from each food group on the back. The kids actually ask for these now.