PLAY AS A TOOL FOR HEALTHY EATING IN THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

A healthy diet is a key factor in the process of an individual's physical and intellectual development. The way we eat expresses our lifestyle, our customs and beliefs. It is in childhood that the construction of the first eating habits occurs. Therefore, it is of great importance to address this topic in the school environment, as it is at this stage that children are most accessible to learning. Developing these concepts in a playful and attractive way can provide children with enthusiasm and satisfaction. In this sense, play can be an important tool to promote healthy eating. Based on this assumption, the objective of the article was to bring the dialogue between school meals and playfulness, identifying which tools are used in this process of building learning and healthy habits. This is a systematic review of the literature, based on research carried out in the “SciELO”, “LILACS” and “Medline” databases. The results indicate that play is an important tool in the process of building knowledge about healthy eating and that the adoption of educational strategies has a positive impact on the children involved. Therefore, playful activities should be encouraged in the school environment and several tools can be used in this process.