Struggling to get kids to eat healthy food at home?  

Often, children are anxious about eating foods which they aren’t familiar with or when they feel pressured to eat. You might think this is your child being a “picky eater” but labelling your kid as “picky” or “fussy” can be counterproductive. Here are two major tips to get your kids to eat more healthy meals at home:  

– Try sensory play with ingredients

– Get them to help with the cooking

Tip 1: Sensory play with ingredients  

Getting kids to interact with healthy foods without the expectation to eat helps to build their familiarity and comfort with the food. The goal with sensory play is not to eat, but instead to investigate and explore. Encourage touching, smelling, looking, and tasting different ingredients and in different forms (raw and cooked).  

Yes – this might mean letting them play with the food on the plate. 

Think about it from your perspective; wouldn’t you feel better if you knew the ingredients that were in a dish before eating it?  Sensory play is a great way to build your child’s comfort with food. This activity is easy, cheap and quick – plus you can try sensory play multiple times with many different foods that you may already have at home.  

Tip 2: Get kids involved in cooking 

What can that look like…?  

Mashing, peeling, chopping, straining, and stirring. Yes, it may get a bit messy, but getting kids involved in cooking not only builds motor skills, supports their natural curiosity, but also improves attitudes towards trying healthy foods. Try cut-safe knives, crinkle cutters, or cookie-cutters for little hands rather than using metal knives. When getting the kids to make a whole recipe from start to finish, seek out non-cook recipes when you first start out, as these can be a bit safer and less stressful for you. Incorporate snacks for kids to help make into your weekly meal plan and dedicate some time for this activity.  

Involving your kids in preparing healthy foods provides opportunities for them to explore the ingredients and assist in creating a finished meal – this increases their recognition of the ingredients that make up the dish and builds their comfort and confidence to taste the food. This might just be a fun way that supports them to eat more healthy foods and to eat more adventurously, without applying pressure! As an added bonus, cooking might also be a confidence boost for your child to take on challenges and be a source of pride when the whole family tastes the product of their efforts.

Foodbank WA’s range of recipes are designed by nutritionists and dietitians to not only provide nutritional value, but are also quick, cheap, and – most importantly – tasty! Each recipe feature foods from the five food groups and are favourites among kids and parents who come along to our nom! programs.  

Explore our recipes for kids section or our big range of the best recipe books – all kid-friendly, and kid-approved at Superhero Foods HQ. See what might spark ideas for healthy dinners and for your own budding cook!