Simply put, life is complicated. Whether your kids have basketball practice at 6pm or a dance recital at 7pm, often evenings come and go before you know it. With this goes the chance to help your child spend dinner time building a healthy relationship with their food. All meals, especially dinner, are great learning opportunities for parents to teach children what a healthy plate looks and tastes like. While it may seem like one extra task on your do-to list, the benefits of encouraging your children to participate in meal time will outlast any evening life hustle and bustle. To help family meal time run smoothly and relieve some of your stress, here are some quick and simple tips to get your children in the kitchen!
- Allow children to help build the week’s menu. Take into account your child’s food preferences by allowing them to have input in what is made. If you need inspiration, consider looking through cook books and online recipes together. Kid-friendly examples to try include these turkey quesadilla and pita pizza recipes.
- Take children to the grocery store or local farmer’s market when shopping. Once there, let them choose a new fruit, vegetable, or meat to try with meals for the upcoming week.
- Provide children with age appropriate utensils and assign them tasks that develop their kitchen skills! Examples of this include allowing toddlers to measure ingredients, knead dough, and place pizza toppings. As children get older other responsibilities such as washing fruits and vegetables, whisking eggs, filling muffin trays or cake pans, and helping with clean-up may be right for them. Keep in mind that children are more likely to try a new dish that they helped prepare so any task that they can lend a hand with will be beneficial.
- Taste test together. Just like helping with preparation, children are also more willing to try new foods that they see others eating. Therefore, adults should model healthy eating behaviors such as filling their plate with fresh fruits and vegetables and trying ingredients they have never eaten before.
- Don’t be discouraged, even if a child does not like a new ingredient the first time. Research shows that it can often take a child 10 exposures (or even more) to a new food before they accept it. Continue offering the ingredient in small portions with well-liked foods to increase chance of acceptance.
Take some time this week to involve children in the kitchen by encouraging them to try new tasks and sample new ingredients. Not only will this help them develop a well-balanced diet and healthy relationship with food, but allowing them to prepare their own food strengthens self-esteem, teaches them life skills, and gives children a sense of accomplishment!
Sources:
Brickley, L. (2020). Cooking tasks kids can help with at every age. Food Network. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/packages/recipes-for-kids/cooking-with-kids/best-cooking-tasks-kids-every-age
United States Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). Turkey quesadilla. Nutrition. https://www.nutrition.gov/recipes/turkey-quesadilla
United States Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). Pita pizzas. Nutrition. https://www.nutrition.gov/recipes/pita-pizzas
Author: Samantha Farnsworth, Marshall University Dietetic Intern at Ohio State University Extension, Washington County
Reviewer: Amanda Bohlen, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Washington County, bohlen.19@osu.edu
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