Parents and Caregivers

Create a healthy home environment – where kids are active and eat healthy foods – with the help of these 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count! resources! 

Be a healthy role model:

• Eat healthy foods. 
• Limit use of handheld devices.
• Participate in physical activity.
• Drink water.

You can keep track of your healthy habits as a family using a 5-2-1-0 Goal Tracker. Post on the refrigerator or anywhere else that is visible in your home. Looking for more ideas to help you meet your goals? Check out the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count! Activity & Recipe Book.

COVID-19 resources:

You may be spending even more time at home with your children during this time! Here are some resources we created especially to help your family stay active and healthy during COVID-19 outbreak and social distancing:

• Top 10 ways to keep your kids moving indoors
• How to practice social distancing outdoors
• Kid-friendly healthy lunch recipes to make at home
• Free printables: 5-2-1-0 activity sheets and coloring pages
• 5 tools to help your kids cope during the coronavirus

Fact Sheets:

5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day

• Healthy Eating on a Budget
  • Spend Smart. Eat Smart. Healthy recipes and savvy shopping tips.
  • Healthy shopping on a budget: Use this document to lower you grocery bill
  • Eating healthy at convenience stores
  • Healthy tips for eating out
  • Tips to pick a better fast food option
  • Tips for eating fruits and veggies year round
  • Understanding food labels
  • Tips to eat healthy and stick to a tight grocery budget
  • Farmers markets accepting food assistance
  • Farmers markets offering Double Up Food Bucks
• Preparing Family-friendly Recipes
  • Making meals a family affair
  • Try healthy foods by texture
  • Healthy brown bag lunches: different recipe for every day of the week
  • Making sense of food portions
  • Handling a choosy eater
  • Getting to know fiber: easy tips for boosting your fiber intake
  • Iowa Seasonal Food Guide: simple guide to purchase in season fruits and vegetables
  • Kid-friendly snacks: quick and healthy snacks for energy
  • How to address eating problems in children with I/DD
  • Kid-friendly Recipes to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables (English/Spanish)
• Kids in the Kitchen
  • Cooking with kids
  • Basic cooking concepts
  • Conduct taste tests
  • Make a 5-a-day bracelet
  • Non food rewards at home
  • Feeding toddlers and preschoolers
  • Feeding infants

2 hours or less of recreational screen time every day 

• Tips to Reduce Screen Time
  • Summer screen time "contract" for kids
  • Limit screen time
  • Promote healthy viewing habits
  • School vacation activities
  • Reading to young children
  • Step away from the screen
  • Screen time for kids under 3
  • Play ideas for infants
  • Healthy sleeping habits
  • Screen-Free Tips & Screen-Free Activities (English/Spanish)
• Provide Alternative Activities
  • Unplugged: tips to reduce screen time
  • Check out your local library
  • Screen-free play and activities
  • 5-2-1-0 crossword puzzle
  • Fruit and veggie word search
  • Physical activity word search
  • Screen-Free Tips & Screen-Free Activities (English/Spanish)

1 hour or more of physical activity every day  

• Fun Ways to Get Active
  • Story Walk
  • Move an hour every day!
  • Take it outside
  • Top 5 anywhere exercises
  • Tips and Games to Get Moving!(English/Spanish)
• Get Active in Iowa
  • 99 Counties, 99 Parks Family Fun Guide
  • Hy-Vee KidsFit
  • Get outside: Find a State Park
  • Get outside: Find your County Park
  • Get inspired with Travel Iowa
  • Live Healthy Iowa Kids

0 sugary drinks - more water 

• Choosing Healthy Drinks
  • Water is fuel for your body!
  • Choosing juice
  • Limit or eliminate sugary drinks
  • Best drinks for young children
  • Sports or energy drinks?
  • How much sugar do you drink?
  • How to Make Water More Fun(English/Spanish)

Free Resources for Families:

   Iowa Family Support Network