Kids have a natural interest in food, or that is to say, they may like to eat, but are they eating “good foods?” Keeping your children interested in healthy food choices will require some management from parents. Studies have shown that one of the best precursors that influence how a person will eat in adulthood is how they eat during childhood. And it’s not just the eating aspect, but the overall culture of food in the household. In this blog, How to Get Your Kids to Eat we’ll take a look at some good habits you can have as a family that’ll lead to happy mealtimes for your kids.

We all know kids who eat anything, and we know children who only eat chicken nuggets and fries. Most likely, your child is somewhere in between those extremes. Many child on the autism spectrum have issues with texture, taste, and smells. This leads to issues with even bringing the food up to their mouths. In fact, I know some families that can’t even go out to eat at a restaurant because their child cannot handle the smells. No matter where your child is on the food spectrum – picky eater or eats things that they shouldn’t eat – very few children get to adulthood with such extreme food habits.

However, you want to be sure your children are getting nutrients needed to grow strong brains and bones. The phrase, “How to get your kids to eat” is probably on your mind night and day. Take a deep breath and read along for great tips!

Grow Your Own Ingredients

Most people get all of their food from the supermarket. There will always be things that you have to buy from the supermarket. However, you don’t need to buy everything from the store.

It’s never been easier to grow your own vegetables at home — there are a million blogs that’ll help you to get started. This won’t just give you fresh, healthy vegetables that you can incorporate into your food, but it’ll also give your kids a solid understanding of where food comes from and the importance of healthy eating. Plus, it’s just a fun project that everyone can get involved in. AND it’s much better for them than playing video games all day!

Additionally, there is nothing better than a carrot right from the ground or a strawberry warmed by the sun with a touch of dew left on it! These delicious offerings might not get your kids to try new foods every day, but it may pique their interests in different foods.

Make Delicious Meals

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It’s possible for kids to have a relationship with food that doesn’t stretch beyond “we have to eat.” In order to instill a solid, long-lasting interest in food, it’s a good idea to look at preparing delicious meals at home.

There’ll be a problem if the only delicious meals they eat is at a restaurant; it’ll make it feel like the only way to eat well is to pay someone else. And that, of course, is not the case!

Take a look at making some delicious meals at home. This tater tots in air fryer recipe will help to make your dinnertime that little bit more exciting, especially since you can top them with tasty toppings. Step up your cooking game, and in no time, your children will be looking forward to dinner like never before. 

Get Them To Help Out

It’s a good idea to get your children involved in the cooking process as early as possible. Why not? They don’t have to make the entire meal themselves. However, cutting vegetables, husking corn, or snapping green beans may get them trying good foods before they are even cooked.

Furthermore, it’s a good way to get them used to cooking — and it’s something that’ll stick with them for the rest of their lives. If they’re too young to chop vegetables and things like that, then just having them in the kitchen as you make meals will integrate them into that way of doing things. 

In fact, toddlers can even be there playing with the pots and pans and pretending to stir their own concoctions.

Make Dinner an Event

When you are trying to create a strong dinner culture in your household there are steps you need to take. Food should be savored, not devoured in a moment, or, even worse, eaten in front of the television. Make it an event, and they’ll appreciate food all the more. 

Make it a point to schedule mealtimes where everyone sits down and puts away their devices. Talk about the events of the day or have everyone share something they are thankful for. Additionally, you can find books or card decks that give you ideas for dinner conversations.

Experiment with Foods

One way to get kids interested in foods and get them to eat is to experiment with foods. Science experiments are a fun way to explore foods and how ingredients react with each other. For example, there are great experiments with yeast that are always fun for the kids to watch.

Other experimenting that can be done involves mixing foods together to “see what you get.” Let your children create their own concoctions. Maybe they will be horrible, but that is a great way to teach what happens when you add too many spices or not enough liquid. Experimenting with food is a great way to get kids to eat (or at least try) their experiments.

Shop with Your Children

As a homeschool mom, I always took my children shopping. The grocery store is such a great learning environment. We play games such as “guess the total cost of all the groceries we are buying today.” Whoever gets the closest is the winner. However, the most important thing we do at the grocery store is allow them to pick one food item each trip.

Allowing your children to select a new fruit or vegetable, or cereal, gives them control, but also encourages them to try new things. That strange looking new fruit might just be the thing that the find they love.

Let Them Play with Their Food

Children love to create masterpieces and a great way to get your kids to eat is by letting them play. Too many parents are set on having their toddlers and preschoolers eat neatly that they foster poor eating habits. Little children love to play and explore their foods with all their senses. That means they smell it, touch it, listen to the noises it makes and tastes it. If you stop them from exploring, you may be setting them up for difficulties later in life.

Furthermore, there are some awesome creations your children can make that will encourage them to eat items they normally wouldn’t eat, such as Baby Yoda creations or smiley faces with their leftovers.

Pick Your Battles

This is my most important tip. I remember far too many times, I was forced to eat everything on my plate. Some foods caused me to gag. These types of “dinner battles” caused lifelong problems for me. Mealtime trauma takes decades to erase. These traumatic events set your child up for 1) Weight problems, and 2) Control issues. Make sure to make mealtime a pleasant ordeal instead of a war.

One final thought – my favorite tip is to set up a system where both you and your children are encouraged to speak their minds about food. My children knew if we were having a new food that they needed to take one bite. They didn’t have to swallow, but they needed to taste. They could have a napkin nearby to spit the food out if they couldn’t handle the taste.