Mary Poppins wisely observed that “in every job that most be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and snap! The job’s a game!” Teaching kids to eat well is seriously important, but that doesn’t mean we need to approach it with a serious attitude. If you serve good food in a fun or interesting way, kids will be more likely to give it a try.
I’m not saying you need to turn dinner into a circus (though if you’re an overachiever who’s eager to try that, I’m sure your kids will love it). The truth is, it doesn’t take much to liven up mealtime. Here are a few things that have worked for us.
Fun Names
Sometimes a fun name is all it takes to pique a child’s curiosity. When I started putting chia seeds on oatmeal and yogurt, I didn’t ask my kids if they wanted a high-fiber superfood rich in iron and omega-3 fatty acids. I asked if they wanted “seed sprinkles” on their oatmeal. Of course they did–what kid doesn’t want sprinkles? They’ve been eating them ever since.
I tend to give my smoothies boring, practical names like Creamy Blueberry Smoothie, but a few have more whimsical titles, and it’s probably no coincidence that my younger daughter’s favorite one is called The Green Monster. When we add cocoa powder (or Nutella!) it becomes The Muddy Green Monster. Now tell me honestly, which smoothie would you rather ask for: a Banana Spinach Cocoa Smoothie, or a Muddy Green Monster?
In a similar vein, I know of one mom who adds pureed spinach to her banana muffins and calls them Hulk Muffins. When her kids eat one, she encourages them to flex their muscles to see if they’re getting stronger. Talk about making snack time a game. 🙂
Fun Shapes
Pasta is a great way to add some fun to a meal, because it comes in countless interesting shapes (elbows, corkscrews, tubes, and on and on). Add alphabet pasta to soup and see if your family can find (and eat) every letter of the alphabet in order. Cook up some bowtie noodles with a red sauce and call them “vampire bats” at Halloween. Replace a familiar pasta shape with ziti just because it’s fun to say (ziti, ziti, ziti!).
A fun garnish is another great way to get children to try (and enjoy) a new dish. I sometimes serve a new soup with a small bowl of fishy crackers, partly because my kids love them, and partly because if I can get my youngest son to try at least one bite of his dinner, he’ll usually eat a lot more of it. That first bite can be a big hurdle though, and a few fishy crackers really help. Thank you, fishy crackers.
What Do You Think?
Eating a whole plate of something new can feel intimidating to a child, but sampling it can seem like an interesting experiment. My younger kids may not want a whole serving of something new, but they’re often willing to taste it and give me their opinion. If I make a new smoothie I think my younger daughter will like, I don’t ask if she wants a whole cup of it because I know she’ll turn it down. Instead, I ask if she’ll taste it and tell me what she thinks. She’s usually willing to try a sip, and sometimes she likes it enough to ask for more.
Similarly, when I try a new recipe I sometimes make a couple variations and ask my kids to compare them (if I’m already making three pieces of flatbread, why not toss Parmesan cheese on one and grind some pepper on another?). You’d think trying two (or even three!) new things instead of one would be extra intimidating, but my kids seem to like the adventure of sampling things and then offering their verdict about which they like best.
My aunt, who is an interior designer and avid party-thrower, likes to say that “presentation is everything.” While I wouldn’t go quite that far, I do think the way we present things can have a big impact on how they’re received. Something as simple as a quirky recipe name, an interesting shape, or the invitation to experiment can make eating seem like a game or adventure, and inspire a child to eat (or at least sample) something they might not have tried otherwise.
Want more ideas to get kids eating healthier? Check out the rest of the posts in this Adventurous Eater series:
7 Ways to Get Kids Eating Healthier (the intro to this series)
