Five Ways to Host a Healthier Holiday Party at School or Home

Posted by Bag The Junk on December 6, 2013

The holiday season is known for serving up sugary treats like cookies, pies and hot chocolate, but with a little preparation and creativity, schools and parents can ensure that kids also have healthy and tasty options, too. Check out our top tips for intertwining healthy foods and physical activity into this month’s holiday celebrations:

1. Make healthy, holiday-themed snacks
Some of our favorite recipes include:

Banana snowmen made of bananas and dark grapes
A fruit and veggie wreath with celery, grapes, carrots, and turkey breast as the bow
Broccoli Christmas trees with cherry tomatoes as ornaments, yellow peppers as the star, a pretzel trunk, and cauliflower snow
An asparagus and green bean menorah with carrots and radishes

2. Skip sugary beverages
Kate Uslan of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation suggests serving fruit-infused water in place of sugary, high-calorie sodas. Try a holiday flavor by adding cranberries to a glass of ice water, or other citrus fruits like oranges. Students can even experiment with different flavor combinations. (Read more of Kate’s tips here.)

3. Keep the focus off food
School-Bites suggests putting less emphasis on food and more focus on a group activity in the classroom or family party. Students could bring their favorite holiday book, song, or art project to share with the class. Families can play games inside or in the backyard. (Extra points if they include physical activity. See tips #4 and #5.)

4. Organize active party games
Add an element of movement to classroom games. The Center for Science in the Public Interest suggests planning a dance party, setting up holiday craft stations where kids get to move around the room, or holding a scavenger hunt throughout the school.

5. Parents can reinforce healthy habits at home
Families can build off the healthy activities or snack ideas in their kids’ classroom parties. Make sure each holiday family meal has nutritious options – children could even help recreate their favorite healthy snack from a school party. Or, play a game of charades with the family instead of sitting and watching a movie – get moving!

How do you incorporate healthy elements into your holiday celebrations? Tweet us @BagtheJunk, write on our Facebook wall, or leave a comment below.

Photo credit: Susan Steely via Pinterest.

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