Activity 5: Sharing Visions - How We Work Together to Eat Healthfully

Time: 30 minutes

Introduction

This is the third and final activity of the "Sharing Visions" series. The emphasis in Section 1 was on how you "communicate as a family." For Section 2 it was "learning together about food and nutrition." Here, the focus is on "working together to eat healthfully."

Overview

A basic problem many families have regarding food is that there are conflicting ideas on things like what foods to buy, how to prepare the food, when to eat, and even how to eat together. This activity is designed to help families establish a shared vision and a sense of being part of a cohesive team in making decisions.

Objectives

General Objectives

• Participants will describe the value of family cooperation and teamwork by contributing to a cooperative agreement for healthier eating.
• Participants will create a family-specific vision plan for how family members can cooperate to achieve their healthful eating goals.

Specific Objectives

Participants will be able to:

• Develop an agreed upon vision for how the family will eat more healthfully.
• Develop 2-5 specific, actionable, collaborative strategies for healthy eating.

Materials/Resources

• Copies of the "Sharing Visions -- How We Work Together to Eat Healthfully" handout -- one per person plus one per family.
• Pens or pencils

Steps

1. Briefly review the day's lessons (if other activities took place that day).
2. Give each individual a copy of the current session's "Sharing Visions -- How We Work Together to Eat Healthfully" handout.
   
   Handout 3-4: Family Visions -- How We Work Together to Eat Healthfully
   
   Working on their own, have family members finish each of these sentences in a way that describes what they would like to see in regard to how the family functions when it comes to food. The facilitator should be available to assist families as needed.
3. All family members should be involved and agree on the answers. Family members should discuss their views and work on each item, one at a time.
   
   Post the completed family vision statements on the refrigerator or in an accessible place.

Considerations

Families might have some difficulty filling in the blanks. Encourage them to use as many or as few as they need. Each family is unique and their Vision Statement will reflect this. There are no right or wrong answers per se but the statement should be focused on helping the family as a whole to find a cooperative and agreeable way to eat more healthfully as a family.

Some families may have trouble compiling these statements. An alternative is to ask for one goal or two that the family will try to do together. Other options: replace this activity with the What is Your Family Food Motto? activity (Appendix 2) or the What are Your Family Fitness Values? activity (Appendix 3).

Photocopying the final version of Sharing Visions -- How We Work Together to Eat Healthfully on special stationary might encourage families to view the documents they create as being of value.