Interactive Nutrition Games for Kids

Given the epidemic of childhood obesity and our fast-food culture, it is more important than ever to make sure that we are educating children about proper nutrition. A healthy, balanced diet is key to good fitness and health, for without the right combination of foods, our bodies, as well as the bodies of our children, will be unable to fight off disease, maintain themselves, and do everything else that is necessary for a healthy life.

The benefits of good nutrition are more than we can calculate. Studies have routinely shown that a proper diet results in stronger bones and helps the body to heal quickly from injury. The right combination of proteins, fruits, vegetables, grains, and fats also is key to the learning process, for those who are getting all the nutrients they need are more attentive in class and can master new concepts far more quickly than those who eat poorly. Good nutrition will extend the lifespan for most people, and it will improve the quality of life well into old age. In sum, life is far more enjoyable for those persons who get the right nutrition.

Teaching kids the concepts of healthy nutrition from a young age will help them develop the habits of proper eating over the course of their entire lives. Fun, interactive nutrition games can supplement this education well, helping kids get interested in the topic and driving home concepts in a way that makes them easier to memorize. There are scores of such games available for free online, and this list represents some of the best sites out there for those who are looking for great nutrition games for kids.

 • Amazing Food Detective — an interactive nutrition game featuring you as a junior detective

• Body Fun Online — several nutrition games for kids from the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation

• Breakfast and Jump to It — learn the importance of a nutritious breakfast with this online jump rope game

• Dairy Council Kids Game — several games related to dairy and nutrition from the Dairy Council of California

• Dining and Decisions — online game about healthy food choices from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

• Dole Games fun nutrition games and activities from the large food company

• Eat and Move — Blue Cross/Blue Shield site with games and activities related to proper nutrition

• E-Learning for Kids — click the image to play a game about the food pyramid

• Feed the Face — click the face to play a trivia hangman game that is focused on healthy eating

• Florida Juice Games — several games about the benefits of orange and other citrus juices

• Food: A Fact of Life — over twenty games about food and nutrition

• Food Fury — a game to teach the basics of a balanced diet

• Food Groups Game — place each food in its proper category and win this game from Sheppard Software

• Fruit and Veggie Color Champions — pick a username and play these free, fun nutrition games for very young children

• The Game Closet — a few nutrition and health-related games from Kids Health

• The Great Escape — from the National Institutes of health, a great dairy nutrition-related game

• Gaming for Health — scroll down to find four nutrition related-games that are fun to play

• The Great Plant Escape — go on a detective mission to find the foods necessary for a proper diet

• Guess the Calories — a game in which kids can guess calories and learn what it takes to burn them off

• Food Standards Agency Game — play some fun nutrition games at this UK-based site

• Great Grub Club — World Cancer Research Fund site with several nutrition games for kids

• Love Your Veggies — excellent preschool online games about vegetables

• Mighty Giants — find the biofuels based on a healthy diet in this great game from Green Giant

• My Pyramid Blast Off — U.S. Department of Agriculture game based on the food pyramid

• My School Lunch — another British site with fun nutrition games for kids of all ages

• NAFWA Nutrition Games — learn all about nutrition with these fun games and activities

• National Nutrition Month Games — a few games with nutrition information from the American Dietetic Association

• Nourish Interactive — free registration is required to access this site full of nutrition games

• Nutrition Challenges — older kids and teens will enjoy these activities on finding facts about nutrition on the Dietitians of Canada homepage

• Oilville — the California Olive Association hosts this game about healthy fats

• Power Panther's Calorie Challenge — learn about the caloric content of foods and the activities needed to burn the calories off with this game

• Powerful Girls — a multilevel game for girls related to healthy snacking and exercise

• Produce for Kids — Veggie Pals game and other fun nutrition activities

• Small Step Kids — games that show what little steps toward a healthy diet can do for a person

• Strawberryville — click on the Strawberryville sign and find games about the benefits of strawberries

• The Tomato Zone — British site with games that help convey the health benefits of tomatoes

• A World of Activities — seven fun games all about nutrition for kids

• Your Health — Harcourt Publishing sponsors this site with games about nutrition for grades 1–6