Both of my girls are very independent and strong minded. They know what they want and what they like. This can often make meal times tricky. Putting a plate of food in front of them is often met with a refusal to eat, yet there are tips and tricks around this.
I was delighted when Wren Kitchens contacted me with their Little Kitchens project. Wren Kitchens are creating a downloadable ‘Little Kitchen’ e-book which will contain a series of recipes, fun activities and presentation ideas for involving kids in the kitchen. Like Wren Kitchens we believe the kitchen is the heart of the home, and over the years have come across a few tips and tricks to get the girls interested in their food.
I was delighted when Wren Kitchens contacted me with their Little Kitchens project. Wren Kitchens are creating a downloadable ‘Little Kitchen’ e-book which will contain a series of recipes, fun activities and presentation ideas for involving kids in the kitchen. Like Wren Kitchens we believe the kitchen is the heart of the home, and over the years have come across a few tips and tricks to get the girls interested in their food.
1. Involvement
The girls are involved in every process. When we go food shopping they have their own lists, which is a part of my main list, of food they have to find and put in the trolley. This keeps them entertained in the supermarket and also involves them in the buying process.
They are then involved in food preparation. This can often be as simple as helping to get the food out of the fridge, to chopping up vegetables
2. Have a theme
If it is possible we have a theme for our meals. This works really well at lunch time, as it can help make a simple sandwich much more fun and appealing. All you really need are a variety of biscuit cutters. We recently had a woodland theme lunch and the girls used cutters they associated with a woodland.
By allowing them to not only choose the theme and the cutters, but to cut out the shapes give them a great sense of achievement and they feel much more involved in the process.
3. Visual
Children are visual eaters. If it looks appealing they want to eat it. If they have decided they want a rabbit shaped sandwich and have taken great care in making the rabbit shape, they are much more likely to eat it.
4. Portion size
I have found that if I put a plate of food in front of them they say no, but if I put food into small bowls and make it seem like a picnic or a party then they eat a lot more. They then have a choice has to how much to eat and what to eat but have much more fun in doing so. They feel much more in control and eat more.
Do you have any tips to encourage children to generate an interest in the food they eat?
Whilst this is a collaborative post I have not received any financial payment.
Whilst this is a collaborative post I have not received any financial payment.
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