Grab The Goodies: A Way to Teach Kids About Healthy Lifestyles

I was compensated by FAAR for the time spent reviewing and writing about the app. All opinions are my own.

 

My boys are getting older, and with age comes the demands that they are “big” and can handle more “adult” things. This is true in so many ways. We are giving them more freedoms and responsibilities with their age and maturity that it’s hard to comprehend how fast time has really gone.

Now that they are older, they are allowed to ride their bikes with their friends around the block. A freedom that we as parents were afforded at an even younger ages, but have held out in allowing our kids do the same until now because “times were different when we were younger.” I often have to think back to when I was their age and the types of things that I was already thinking and doing. It’s scary. I look at my “babies” and think of them as, well, babies. In my eyes, they aren’t old enough to handle the varied topics that are generally reserved for adults. But really they are.

In school, they have talked to the kids about living a healthy lifestyle and making good choices. At home, we also talk about this with the boys, as well as try to lead by example. Unfortunately, as adults, we sometimes show some not so healthy choices. Like when I have a glass (or two) of wine with dinner. When my husband enjoys beer while watching the game. Our boys know that as adults, we make these choices, but do not abuse them.

Recently, the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility introduced a new component to the Ask Listen Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix program to assist parents in their ongoing efforts to teach their kids to say YES to a healthy lifestyle and NO to underage drinking. With this new component, a new educational app was developed. Grab the Goodies enables kids (ages 6-9) to learn about the negative consequences of underage drinking and empowers them to make healthy lifestyle decisions as they grow older.

This fun and educational app is easy to play so that even your younger elementary child can master the choices that the fun octopus has to make. The “goodie” choices are all examples of a healthy lifestyle. They include healthy foods, sports, and good grades at school. The “baddie” choices are examples of things that will cause unhealthy choices: alcohol, smoking, bad grades, being lazy, going to jail, etc.

 

 

After capturing the “goodies” and avoiding the “baddies,” your child will need to answer a question about healthy lifestyles. As the players goes through the levels, they will be prompted to answer questions about of good nutrition and the impact of healthy decisions. The correct answer gives them extra points and allows them to move to the next level.

As a teacher by trade, I like to play “devil’s advocate” and see what happens when you mark the wrong answer. On Grab the Goodies, when the octopus eats too many of the “baddies,” he turns a green sick color. Then the child is automatically prompted to answer a question. If they answer a question wrong, the message simply says, “Oh Dear! That wasn’t right…Why don’t you try again?” What a perfect response!

 

Go get Grab the Goodies for your kids!

Download the free Grab The Goodies app from iTunes or Google Play. For more information, visit the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility and get helpful tips and materials for starting open conversations with your kids about alcohol from their Ask, Listen, Learn program.