Parents' Guide to Pick Your Plate!

In this simple game, kids see clearly that different meal choices have different consequences for how well they meet nutritional guidelines. Though the nutritional guides from various countries are quite similar, Pick Your Plate! nicely introduces a variety of local foods for kids to choose from. Within each country, those choices are always the same, however, so as kids play multiple rounds, they'll always work with the same options. Don't be fooled, though! The game is simple, but it's not easy to meet all the dietary requirements and stay in budget with just three meals. Kids may have to play several times before they earn a medal, let alone a gold one. There are also lots of icons that represent different food groups, and though they're pretty clear, it may take kids a few rounds before they get used to the portion points system and how it works. Another possible downside is that because the game focuses solely on creating a correctly balanced diet, having too many fruit and vegetable portion points is penalized in the same way that having too many fat points is, which may be confusing. But overall, Pick Your Plate! is a great way to learn about nutrition and food from around the world, and a launch pad from which kids and parents can discuss and explore their dietary choices in real life.