Teaching your children how to make healthy eating choices is important. Turning the learning into fun can also make it easy! And if you can make it into a whole family habit, you can provide your children with a great understanding of the benefits of being fit and healthy for life. Encourage your children to experiment with plenty of different foods, tastes and flavours. Provide opportunities for choice. Support them to prepare family meals and include teachable moments about different food groups. We don’t have to force them to eat what they don’t like, but we can help find alternatives that they will like, and more importantly, what they need.
Try some of the fun ideas below and see what works for your family.
The Fruit & Veggie Guessing Game
Bring home a variety of fruits and vegetables in your weekly grocery shop. Place some of each in paper bags and ask your children to feel inside, to touch, smell and taste then have them guess the name of the fruit or vegetable. Pop on a blindfold for an added challenge!
Odd One Out
Place a few related food items on a tray and ask your children to identify the odd item that does not belong to the group. Can they also suggest a recipe using the food items? Place several items on a tray, allow your children to study them for a minute before covering everything with a tea towel and asking them how many they can remember.
Excursion and Outings
Organise a gastronomic tour of your neighbourhood by taking your children to a local market, farm, supermarket, bakery or even the butcher for a real hands-on experience. It’s a great way to promote farm-to-table eating!
Build Your Own Veggie Patch
Allowing your children to participate in the design, construction, planting and harvesting of veggies grown in their own backyard motivates positive food choices. Choose easy to grow seeds or seedlings such as tomatoes, peas, beans or herbs. Use the opportunity to discuss how food grows and to take on responsibilities. So break out the toolbelt and give them a reason to love their veggies.
