Craft
Connection
Hop Aboard the Food Train
Lesson Overview
The children will learn that, according to MyPlate,
there are five different groups of foods: Grains,
Vegetables, Fruits, Protein, and Dairy. Through a
craft activity where children create a food train, they
will experience sorting, categorizing, and cooperative
play. The concepts of food groups and dietary variety
will be reinforced through this activity.
Key Concepts
● Foods are divided into five different groups.
● To stay healthy, our bodies need foods from
different food groups every day.
National Food Service Management Institute
The University of Mississippi
Materials Needed
To teach the lesson:
● Food Group poster*
● Food cards or pictures*
● Shoe boxes, one per child, plus
an additional shoebox for the
engine (in advance, ask
children to bring a shoe box
from home)
● Colored paper to decorate shoe
boxes
● Pictures of foods from grocery
flyers, gardening catalogs,
magazines, and other resources
that can be cut apart
● Art supplies such as crayons,
child-safe markers, blunt
scissors, child-safe glue or
glue sticks
● A variety of food containers
and food models, such as
empty cereal and cracker
boxes, washed milk cartons and
yogurt containers, bread
wrappers (stuffed with foam),
fruit and vegetable models
*See the Lesson Resources section for
information on obtaining the poster and
food cards.
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Hop Aboard the Food Train, continued
● Food is grown and prepared in many different places. Food needs to be moved from
place to place so many people can eat different healthy foods.
Lesson Background
Children retain concepts better when they are involved
in active role play. This activity will inspire creativity,
encourage cooperation, and reinforce the concept of
the five food groups.
The Food Train activity helps children to learn to
cooperate as they classify foods in various ways. This
lesson can also promote physical activity as children
move from place to place for pickups and deliveries.
Teach the Lesson
● Ask the children if they have heard of the food groups. Listen as each child explains his
or her ideas about food groups.
● Show the children the MyPlate poster. Point out the different colored stripes and the
different kinds of foods included in each stripe. Tell the children that these are called
food groups.
● Ask the children to count the food groups (there are five). Name each group as you count
together (Grains, Vegetables, Fruits, Dairy, and Protein).
● Explain to the children that eating foods from every food group each day will help them
to stay healthy and grow stronger.
● Introduce the craft activity. Explain that the children will create a “food train” by
decorating shoe boxes which will become the train cars. One shoe box will be decorated
as the engine. Children will take turns being the engineer who decides where to drive the
train.
● Put craft supplies on a table where all children can easily reach them, including shoe
boxes, sheets of colored paper, blunt scissors, grocery flyers and/or garden catalogs,
glue or glue sticks, crayons, and markers.
● Cut an outline of a train engine from construction paper and glue on one box for the
engine. All children can help decorate the engineer's car.
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● Use food group pictures or cards and various empty food containers and models for the
children to use in this activity. Put piles of cards or food at various places around the
facility.
● Encourage children to pick up their boxes and form into a train. The children can take
turns being the engineer. The engineer can be in charge of deciding where the train will
travel. Some ideas:
1. Food group train: Each car will be in charge of picking up a specific food group.
Alternatively, each car will make sure it has at least one food from every food group.
2. Color train: Each car will pick up foods of a certain color.
3. Breakfast Train: Each train car will pick up foods that are good to eat for breakfast
(repeat activity for lunch, dinner, snacks).
4. Delivery Train: Deliver foods to places such as a school, restaurant, and grocery store.
5. Pick up Train: Pick up produce from the farm, milk from the dairy, grain foods from
the bakery, eggs from the chicken farm, and deliver to the grocery store or restaurant.
● To reinforce lesson concepts, discuss the different food groups served at meals and
snacks.
Lesson Resources
Food Group Poster:
Child care providers can download or order a free color poster of MyPlate at
www.choosemyplate.gov
Resources for food group pictures or cards:
● Food Models from the National Dairy
Council are cardboard color photographs
of actual portion sizes of 200 commonly
eaten foods. Information on ordering from
your local dairy council can be accessed
at http://www.nutritionexplorations.org
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Hop Aboard the Food Train, continued
● Other sources of food group cards/pictures that can be printed on a color printer (on
heavy paper or cardstock if possible) include:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu
http://teamnutrition.usda.gov
Going Further
Children:
● Books to Read
◆ Hemmelgarn, M., & Wolterman, J.W. (2006). Treasure hunt with the munch crunch
bunch. Kid Well Enterprise.
◆ Piper, W. (2005). The little engine that could. Philomel Books.
● Music for Movement
◆ Smart & Tasty 1: Good Food Tunes for Kids. (2005). I lost my basket (Food groups).
Abridge Club Entertainment.
Leader:
● For more information on the food groups, visit www.choosemyplate.gov
● Other lessons in this series that reinforce the concept of food groups include Vegetables
and Wraps and Food Group Run-Around (part of the Music, Movement, and Play
Connection Series).
This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service through a grant
agreement with The University of Mississippi. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The University of
Mississippi is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA Employer.
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color,
national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights; Room, 326-W, Whitten
Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider
and employer.
For more information, contact NFSMI at 800-321-3054 or www.nfsmi.org.
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