Are you having fun with food, yet?
Greta hopping her frog food pick around the table!
We're part of the way through our Fall birthday season – Remy turned TWO this past weekend… so now we're onto the fun adventures of a 4 year old and a 2 year old. Remy's at SUCH a fun age and I'm so excited to see him and Greta continue to interact even more. I remember when Greta turned 2, she became a big sister and gained a lot of skill with independent-play. They play together a lot, but I think this year will be even more packed with fun AND understanding of each others' play.
Speaking of playing, have you ever thought about mealtime as being a time where playing is off the table (literally). Like, are toys allowed at your table? As a dietitian, I recommend keeping distractions away from the table so that we can focus on our food.
HOWEVER, do you encourage your kiddos to actually play with their food? Did you know that encouraging your kiddos to have fun with their meals not only sparks joy but also plays a significant role in expanding their palate. This, in turn, fosters acceptance of various foods as they grow. So, I'm going to challenge you in the coming weeks, to incorporate more play at the table.
Here are some simple yet effective ways to infuse fun into their dining experience:
Play with Colors: Serve up a rainbow of fruits and veggies in exciting shapes to entice their curiosity. Sort colors on your plate. Make a rainbow with your foods. Ask what foods on their plate is red? brown?
Cooking Together: Engage them in meal preparation, making it an enjoyable learning experience. Cut, chop, be in charge of the garbage bowl, decide on a veggie.
Food Challenges: Create playful challenges using different ingredients, stimulating their imagination and interest. Can you stack the cucumber slices? Can you make the carrot sticks into a house? Arrange food into a silly face?
Exploring New Flavors: Introduce a variety of tastes and textures to broaden their culinary horizons. Is this crunchy or soft? Sweet or sour? Have you tasted anything like this before?
Outdoor Food Adventures: Plan picnics or outdoor meals for an adventurous twist, making eating an exciting exploration. Inside works, too! New environments increase engagement!
Finally, use fun utensils! Using different tools, like Dabbldoo food picks, is like having toys that are allowed at the dinner table! Use the frog to leap from lily pad to lily pad (hop to different cucumber slices!). Use the chameleon to snatch up flies (poke chicken nuggets!). Use the snake to put snow on trees (paint ranch dip on their broccoli). Here's a link for their most popular set, and I got you 10% off (use code ADMama10)! These are AWESOME stocking stuffers (it's about to be that time…)!
Here are some other fun utensils we use ALL THE TIME. And, trust me – we have a small kitchen and I am not about filling it with junk. These are all things my kids use regularly and I definitely think they help them to eat more of a variety! These are best for ages 2+.
Ok, now go have fun at the table. If you're having fun at the table and happen to get a recording of it, share it with me!! Either send it to my email or use the hashtag: #ADMplaywithyourfood – with your permission, I'll share it to my instagram stories to help other mamas spark ideas for their kiddos to play with their food!