Healthy Hippos Fruits and Vegetables Activity

Fruits and vegetables are the two food groups young children meet every day, and learning to tell them apart is a first step toward healthy eating. The Healthy Hippos Fruits and Vegetables Activity turns that sorting skill into a bright, hands-on board game. Children name each food, decide if it is a fruit or a vegetable, and talk about why both belong on a healthy plate.

In this fruits and vegetables game, players are dealt picture cards of apples, bananas, carrots, broccoli and more. They spin, move along the hippo game board, and feed the hippo a fruit card on a red space or a vegetable card on a green space. If a player has no card to match, the turn ends. The first player to feed the hippo every card wins. A Kindergarten practice worksheet lets children show what they learned, and answer keys make checking quick.

What’s Included

• Colorful cover and a How to Use page with simple steps
• 12 food picture cards: 6 fruits and 6 vegetables
• Game board with Fruit and Vegetable spaces, a printable spinner and game pieces
• Feed the Hippo page with a spot for played cards
• Kindergarten practice worksheet: circle fruit or vegetable
• Answer keys for the picture cards and the practice page

Why Kids Love It

• Feeding a smiling hippo makes sorting foods feel like play.
• Big, clear pictures of real foods are easy to name and talk about.
• Spinning and moving on a game board keeps every player excited for the next turn.

Teaching Ideas

Before you play, show a real apple and a real carrot and ask children which one is a fruit and which one is a vegetable. After the Healthy Hippos Fruits and Vegetables Activity, invite children to draw a healthy plate with one fruit and one vegetable they like, or sort pictures from a grocery flyer into two groups. The cards also work well in a science center or a small group for quick review.

Related Resources

• Fruits and Vegetables Worksheet
• Fruits and Vegetables Activity
• Vegetables Flash Cards
• Fitness Songs