If you have a picky eater on your hands, then mealtime can be a struggle, especially if your child only eats one or two things or refuses to eat at all. Proper nutrition is important to help your kiddo grow big and strong, and in today’s post, we will discuss a few easy ways that you can make mealtimes more fun!
Today’s Life Schools and Childcare is dedicated to helping promote early childhood development through learning, fun, and proper nutrition. Our teachers create curriculums that are designed to engage and challenge your child, while also preparing them for their future education. In addition to education and our enrichment program, we also work hard to promote good nutrition and eating habits throughout the day. If you’re looking for a daycare center that you can trust, then contact Today’s Life Schools and Childcare Center today, and continue reading below for tips on how to make mealtimes more fun for your picky eater.
Ask Him or Her What They Want to Eat
You may be thinking that it’s pointless to ask your child what he or she wants to eat because the answer is always the same. While that may be the case, the trick is to offer your child other options. Give your child the choice between three different meals that you have in the house. Depending on how picky your child is, giving him or her options may still present a challenge, however, having the power to choose what’s for dinner may be too tempting to resist.
Have Your Child Help With Meal Prep
There’s nothing better than standing in the kitchen helping mom or dad cook dinner, and if your child plays a part in cooking dinner, he or she may be more likely to eat it once it’s done. Ask your kiddo if he or she wants to help with preparing dinner, and then give them a task like stirring or mashing potatoes. If you notice that your child has a lot of fun helping you cook, you can make it a daily activity and make sure that every meal has a task that your kiddo can easily complete.
Cut Food into Fun Shapes!
Would you rather eat a small slab or pork or a piece of meat shaped like a star? As an adult, you don’t really care about how your food looks, but as a child, presentation is everything! If your child is a picky eater, one thing you can try is cutting his or her food into fun shapes. Buy a few different cookie cutters, and try cutting meat or sandwiches into animals, stars, trees, or hearts! In some cases, you can buy your kiddo’s favorite foods already cut into different shapes, like dinosaur nuggets. It may be more difficult to get your child to eat things like veggies because you can’t cut them into shapes. In that case, try naming them different things. Say that broccoli is a tree and that your kiddo is a dinosaur, or say that green beans are just green french fries. Anything you can do to make meals more fun will give you a better chance of getting your picky eater to branch out and try new foods.
Eating healthy and trying new things can be difficult for a child, but with these tricks, mealtime can be fun and enjoyable for all. At Today’s Life Schools and Childcare, we understand that an important part of healthy development is nutrition, which is why we provide healthy meal options during the day. To see what our childcare center has to offer, contact Today’s Life Schools and Childcare to schedule a visit to our Brooklyn Park location today!
We look forward to seeing you and your child soon!
