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Eat Well Play Well

Lesson Plan

Fuel & Fitness Plan

Students will learn how nutritious foods and physical activity work together to fuel their bodies. They will create a personal Fuel & Fitness Plan and use the Energy Boost Tracker to monitor how different foods and movements affect their energy levels.

Building connections between healthy eating and movement fosters lifelong habits, helps students understand energy balance, and equips them to make informed choices that keep them active and attentive.

Audience

3rd Grade Students

Time

25 minutes

Approach

Hands-on planning and tracking to link choices with activity.

Materials

Movement Matters Slides, Energy Boost Tracker, and Stretch & Share Warm-Up

Prep

Review Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: Stretch & Share

5 minutes

  • Lead students through simple stretching exercises to get their bodies moving.
  • After stretching, invite volunteers to share one healthy snack or physical activity they enjoy.
  • Prompt: “How does that snack or activity make you feel energized?”

Step 2

Discuss Nutrition & Activity

7 minutes

  • Present the Movement Matters Slides.
  • Highlight how different foods act as fuel and how movement uses that fuel to give energy.
  • Ask comprehension questions:
    • “Why is it important to eat before we play?”
    • “Which activities help our bodies use food for energy?”

Step 3

Create Fuel & Fitness Plan

7 minutes

  • Distribute paper or journals and guide students to draw two columns: Food Fuel and Favorite Movement.
  • Ask each student to list one healthy food choice and one physical activity they enjoy.
  • Prompt them to predict how each will boost their energy and record it as their personal Fuel & Fitness Plan.

Step 4

Track Energy Boost

5 minutes

  • Hand out the Energy Boost Tracker.
  • Demonstrate how to rate energy on a simple scale (e.g., 1–5) before and after eating or moving.
  • Have students complete one row: choose their snack and activity, then rate their energy levels before and after.

Step 5

Share & Reflect

1 minute

  • Pair students up to share one insight from their tracker.
  • Invite a few volunteers to share aloud how their energy changed and what they learned.
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Slide Deck

Movement Matters

Food is like fuel for our bodies. Let’s learn how healthy choices help us move and play!

Welcome students! Introduce today’s topic: how food acts as fuel for our bodies just like gas powers a car. Explain that we’ll learn how yummy foods and fun activities give us energy.

Food as Fuel

• Our bodies are machines
• Food gives us energy
• Healthy fuel helps us play longer

Explain the analogy: cars need gas, bodies need good food. Ask: “What’s your favorite snack before you play?”

Healthy Fuel Choices

• Fruits: bananas, apples, berries
• Veggies: carrots, peppers, cucumbers
• Grains & Protein: whole grain bread, yogurt, nuts

Point to each food and ask if students have tried it. Emphasize vitamins and nutrients.

Movement Uses Fuel

• Running & jumping
• Tag & hopscotch
• Dancing & skipping
• Riding bikes

Show how movement uses the energy from food. Invite students to name other activities.

Pairing Fuel & Fitness

Think of one healthy food + one activity:
• Example: banana + soccer
• What will you choose?

Interactive slide: ask students to think-pair-share one food and one activity.

Energy Boost Tracker

• Choose a snack & activity
• Rate your energy before & after (1–5)
• See how your energy changes

Introduce the Energy Boost Tracker worksheet. Explain how to rate energy 1–5 before and after eating or moving.

Create Your Plan

Draw two columns:
• Food Fuel: list one snack
• Favorite Movement: list one activity
Predict how each gives you energy

Guide students to make their own plan in journals or on paper. Model one example.

Key Takeaways

• Food fuels our bodies
• Movement uses that fuel
• Tracking shows energy changes
• Healthy choices keep us energized

Recap the main points. Ask: “Why is it important to eat before we play?”

Ready to Fuel & Play!

Grab your journals and trackers.
Let’s get moving and start tracking!

Transition to warm-up or independent work on the Fuel & Fitness Plan and the Energy Boost Tracker.

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Worksheet

Energy Boost Tracker

Use this tracker to see how different snacks and activities affect your energy levels!

How to Use

  • Choose a healthy snack and one physical activity.
  • Rate your energy level before and after using the scale below (1 = Low Energy, 5 = High Energy).
  • Write what you notice about your energy change.

Energy Scale: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 (Low                 High)

Entry 1

Snack:




Activity:




Energy Before (1 – 5): ___

Energy After (1 – 5): ___

What did you notice about your energy?






Entry 2

Snack:




Activity:




Energy Before (1 – 5): ___

Energy After (1 – 5): ___

What did you notice about your energy?






Keep this tracker handy and watch how fueling up and moving play together to boost your energy!

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Warm Up

Stretch & Share Warm-Up

Time: 5 minutes

Get ready to move and talk about healthy habits!

  1. Circle Up & Reach (1 minute)

    • Have students stand in a circle with enough space.
    • Lead everyone to raise arms high, stretch to the sky, then bend slowly to touch their toes.
    • Repeat 2–3 times, breathing in on the reach and out on the bend.

  2. Shoulder Rolls & Side Stretches (1 minute)

    • Roll shoulders forward 5 times, then backward 5 times.
    • Reach right arm overhead and lean left; hold for 5 seconds. Switch sides.

  3. Leg Lunges & Twist (1 minute)

    • Step right foot forward into a gentle lunge; twist upper body to look over right shoulder. Hold 3 seconds. Switch legs.

  4. Share & Energize (2 minutes)

    • Invite each student to name one healthy snack or one fun activity they enjoy.
    • Ask them to finish this sentence: “This snack/activity makes me feel ___.”


    • Encourage quick shares—just one word or phrase!

Prompt: “How does that snack or activity help you feel ready to learn and play?”

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Eat Well Play Well • Lenny Learning