INTRODUCTION: The focus of the experiment discussed here was health education, as one of the activities of a group under the Educational Program for Health Work (PET-Saúde) at the Federal University in Ouro Preto (UFOP) in partnership with the Mariana Municipal Health Department, through the Municipal Childcare Program. OBJECTIVES: The objective was to improve interaction between he alth workers and the population through participatory leisure-time activities involving the children's mothers. METHODS: A literature search was conducted to enable the development of group dynamics, with support from the UFOP Educational Toy Collection. RESULTS: Group dynamics were developed, with interactive games and rounds of discussion for evaluation. CONCLUSION: Collaboration between health workers and the population, traditionally based on the dichotomy between technical expertise and grassroots knowledge, can benefit from actions that take into account the establishment of interfaces for dialogue and exchange of knowledge, such as those introduced by the group with the support of the popular education methodology.