7 Ways to Make Eating More Fun for Kids

As parents of small children, it can sometimes be a struggle to convince your child to eat certain kinds of food and introduce new items to their diet. There are times when they would refuse fruits and vegetables, and would rather eat fried dishes and even junk food.

But if you want them to develop healthier eating habits, the best trick is to make eating more fun for the kids and the entire family.

1. Schedule your mealtime

There's no better way to start than by keeping things organised. By setting a schedule for meal times, you are making them aware of when they should be eating and how much time they should spend at the dining table. This means you are slowly introducing a disciplined eating habit, which they will naturally adapt even after they grow older. This also allows them to cut on the junk foods and avoid skipping meals. Meal schedule shouldn't only include breakfast, lunch and dinner, but as well as in-between snacks.  

2. Plan a menu

Repeated exposure to the same dishes can cause your child to lose their appetite and divert to junk food, so planning your meals ahead will help avoid this. It will also be easier on your part as you won't have to stress about what to prepare every mealtime.

3. Try out some new, mix-and-match recipes

Meal-planning is also the perfect time to learn new, perhaps healthier recipes, and experiment on dishes. And since you are after giving your child nutrient-rich options, you can always substitute certain food items with healthier choices. Instead of making French fries, offer them sweet potato fries. Or make your own soup rather than reheat from the can.

Also, if you have leftovers from dinner, you don't need to serve the same dish again. You can always recreate and use them as ingredients for another meal. You can also incorporate their vitamin supplement into their meal. For instance, you can easily mix Vita Sprinkles into their meal, or even use it as a topping.

4. Presentation makes food more appetising

Do you notice how appetising food is even when you're just looking at their photos? It's all about presentation. Whilst our taste buds will be the final judge in how much we will like the meal, the visual presentation of the food will certainly drive excitement in us. This is also true for kids.

When preparing meals and snacks, kick it up a notch with an artistic approach. Use skewers when serving fruits, create yummy dips, mould pastries and slice bread into interesting shapes (stars, half moon, hearts – or shapes that your kids really like), and use attractive containers and wares.

Some parents can also use coasters and placemats with special designs to entice their kids to eat and make eating time more enjoyable.

      5. Make eating time a time for learning

Children are naturally curious beings, so use dinnertime a chance to tickle their young minds. Aside from teaching them about dining etiquettes, you can sharpen their knowledge by discussing with them the importance of the food they are eating, telling them fun stories about it, its history, and so on. Sure you need to research about the facts yourself, but it isn't a bad idea, right?

6. Let kids help in selecting and preparing meals

Involving your little ones in planning meals, shopping for food and preparing dishes will allow you to educate them better about health and nutrition. Plus, it will definitely be a fun experience for them and a great time for bonding. You should also let them create and decorate their own healthy snacks.

7. Create an interesting checklist for the food they have eaten

Most kids love scribbling, so let them enjoy it. Create a mealtime checklist – whether on a board or paper – complete with drawings and colours. You can write down which food groups they have consumed for the day, which ones they need to have, and let them draw the foods they have already eaten.