Reading a Nutrition Facts Label with Kids: A Hands-On Activity

Kids ages 9–12 are ready to read real labels. They can do the math, they’re curious about what’s in their food, and many are starting to choose snacks on their own. This activity uses clean, empty packages an adult collects, plus a printable practice label, to build one skill: finding and comparing information, without judging foods or counting calories.

What children learn

• Where the serving size and servings per container are, and why they matter
• How to use the FDA’s quick guide to % Daily Value: 5% DV or less is low, 20% DV or more is high
• What the Added Sugars line means and how it differs from Total Sugars
• How the ingredient list is ordered, and how to spot added sugars, whole grains and allergens in it
• That front-of-package “nutrition info” boxes are still only a proposal in the U.S.

You’ll need

• 3–5 clean, empty packages per group. A mix works best: a cereal box, crackers, a yogurt cup, a granola bar wrapper and a drink bottle or can. Teachers: supply packages yourself; don’t ask children to bring them. Printed photos of labels work too.
• The nutrition label detective worksheet, which has practice labels for two made-up cereals (Crunchy Oat Squares and Honey Puff Rounds)
• Pencils, two highlighter colors, sticky notes, and an optional calculator

Before you start

• Empty and rinse packages so no food is handled. Leave out packages for any food a child in the group is allergic to (for example, peanut butter jars in a group with a peanut allergy), and follow the child’s allergy plan.
• Set the tone. Say: “We’re label detectives. We’re finding information, not deciding which food is good or bad.” Avoid comments about weight, bodies or “earning” food.
• Know the five-minute background. The %DV is based on a 2,000-calorie daily diet. Children’s needs vary, so the 5%/20% rule is a quick comparison tool, not a personal target. The FDA describes serving size as the amount people typically eat or drink, not a recommendation of how much to eat.

Steps

1. Start at the top: serving size (5 minutes). Have kids find Servings per container and Serving size on the practice label. Ask: “If you ate two servings, what happens to every number?” (They all double.) Then check a real package: is a drink bottle or a snack bag one serving or more?

2. The 5%/20% guide (7 minutes). Teach the FDA’s rule of thumb: 5% DV or less is low; 20% DV or more is high. Kids highlight every %DV of 20% or more in one color and every %DV of 5% or less in another. Then introduce the FDA’s two lists:

• Get less of: saturated fat, sodium, added sugars
• Get more of: dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron, potassium

Ask: “Which nutrients on this label are high? Is that one we’d want more of, or less of?”

3. Added sugars (6 minutes). Find Total Sugars, then the indented line “Includes Xg Added Sugars.” The word “includes” means the added sugars are already counted inside Total Sugars. Total Sugars has no %DV, but Added Sugars does, based on 50 grams a day. Compare a plain yogurt or milk with a flavored one. Both have sugar, because milk has natural sugar, but only the flavored one should list added sugars. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 say no amount of added sugars is recommended for children ages 5–10.

4. The ingredient list (6 minutes). Explain that ingredients are listed by weight, with the largest amount first (FDA). Kids look for:

• Added sugar names. The 2025–2030 guidelines suggest looking for words with “sugar” or “syrup,” or ending in “-ose,” plus honey, molasses and fruit juice concentrate. Kids count how many different ones they find.
• Whole grains. Does the first ingredient start with “whole,” or is it brown rice or oats? (Whole Grains Council)
• Allergens. Find the “Contains” statement or allergens named in the list, such as “whey (milk).” Note that “may contain” statements are voluntary, so a missing warning doesn’t guarantee safety (FDA).

5. Detective report (6 minutes). Each group picks one package and writes three facts on sticky notes: one number, one ingredient discovery and one question they still have. Groups share. Finish the worksheet questions individually in class. If any part goes home, keep it optional and private, and never ask children to report what food their family has.

A note on front-of-package labels

Older kids may ask about the boxes and claims on the front of packages. The FDA has proposed a front-of-package “Nutrition Info box” that would rate saturated fat, sodium and added sugars as Low, Medium or High. As of the latest sources checked (mid-2026), it was still a proposal, not a final rule, so kids won’t see it required on packages. The FDA’s updated “healthy” claim has also been finalized, but its symbol is still in development. For now, the Nutrition Facts label on the back or side is the dependable source.

Make it easier / make it harder

• Easier: Use only the practice label and steps 1–3. Pair readers with non-readers. Give a “label map” with the five spots circled.
• Harder: Kids compare the worksheet’s two cereals (questions 10–11) or two packages you supply, and calculate added sugars for two servings of each. Or they look up the FDA’s sodium Daily Value (2,300 mg) and check whether a snack is low or high.

Inclusive and accessible options

• Enlarge the practice label for children with low vision, or use a tablet to zoom.
• Provide a word bank (serving, sodium, fiber, added sugars, ingredient) with simple pictures. Many FDA “Read the Label” print materials are available in Spanish.
• Assign partner roles (reader, highlighter, recorder) so every child has a clear job.
• If a child has a food allergy, invite them to explain how their family checks labels, but only if they want to.

Talk about it

• What surprised you most on a label today?
• Why might the serving size on a label be different from how much you actually eat?
• What’s one thing the front of a package said that the back didn’t?
• If you were designing a label for kids, what would you put first?

Go further

The FDA’s free Read the Label youth materials (for ages 9–13) include tips for kids, a family activity and an educator manual. Connect this activity to what nutrients do, explained simply, whole grains explained for kids and grocery store learning games.