Encouraging Healthy Eating in Kids
A new school year is a great time to start thinking about the choices we make as a family. Horizon Organic {Inspiration Laboratories sponsor} knows that encouraging healthy eating in kids is important. Try these activities together to help teach kids about healthy choices.
Encouraging Healthy Eating in Kids through Books
Read books about making healthy choices. Choose books with characters who learn to eat healthily. Read about different types of food. {Affiliate links are added below.}
- Read Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert. Read Science shares a Growing Vegetable Soup activity to go along with the book.
- Read Eating the Alphabet: Fruits & Vegetables from A to Z by Lois Ehlert. Try Exploring Our Five Senses through Fruits and Vegetables from Learn Play Imagine.
- Read The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons. Download the Explore the World of Science with Gail Gibbons teacher’s guide. Pages 11-13 has activities to go along with The Vegetables We Eat.
- Playdough to Plato shares 15 children’s books for picky eaters.
Encouraging Healthy Eating in Kids through Pretend Play
Pretend play is an awesome way to teach kids about important topics. Try out these 3 ideas.
- Use the MyPlate placemat and pretend food to talk about different food groups and the types of foods everyone should be eating. Check out the details for this MyPlate activity over at Kids Activity Blog.
- Set up a pretend vegetable stand. You can use pretend food if you have it. Make your own or use blocks or LEGO to represent the food.
- Get creative in the play kitchen. Put together healthy meals with foods from each of the food groups. Play restaurant and take turns ordering healthy meals with your child.
Encouraging Healthy Eating in Kids by Making Food Fun
Serve food in cupcake liners {we use the washable silicon ones}, ice cube trays, or muffin tins.
Put food on toothpicks, skewers, or even chopsticks. {Be sure to teach kids how to eat off of the skewers or remove the food before allowing your child to eat. It’s really about the presentation.}
Have a taste test. Present new food alongside favorites and record your findings. Check out the Colorful Snack Taste Test at B-Inspired Mama and grab the printable.
Create a chart and record when your child eats certain foods. Let her add a sticker or check mark to the correct column each time she eats from that food group. Check out the USDA’s recommendations for how much of each food group you should be eating. {It varies based on age and activity level.}
Download our food group recording chart here.
More Tips for Encouraging Healthy Eating in Kids
- Be a good role model. If we don’t make healthy choices, neither will our kids.
- Start kids with small portions. Too much food can be intimidating. Allow your child to serve himself and choose how much he wants to eat.
- Eat meals together as a family. Get kids involved in cooking and preparing meals. Let them set the table. Turn off distractions and talk to each other during meals.
- Have healthy snacks ready. Prewash and cut fruits and vegetables to make them easy for kids to grab at snack time.
For 20 years Horizon Organic has been providing healthy organic milk, cheese, and other organic dairy products. They want to help supply families with the tools they need to be healthy and nutritious. Follow Horizon Organic on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest for coupons and ideas for family fun!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Horizon Organic. The opinions and text are all mine.