Five Ways to Encourage Kids to Try New Foods
Engage your children in the kitchen.
This is the number one tip I can suggest for getting your kids to try new foods. There is a night and day difference in my toddler’s attitude toward trying new foods if she has had some hand in helping prepare that food. Case in point: edamame vs. zucchini. While preparing lunch, Em helped me pour a 1/2 cup of frozen edamame into a small pot of boiling water. (Can you even call that helping?! Yes.) She couldn’t shove them in her mouth fast enough at lunch. That same day, I made dinner on my own without any help and she wouldn’t even touch her zucchini. Now although this is only one example, it is one of many not only in my house, but I’m positive in many other homes where kids are in the kitchen. If you’re reluctant or don’t think your kids would respond similarly, my advice to you is: Do it anyway. Try it! And if it doesn’t work the first time (or the second time…), try it again. It’s too important.
Talk about food…a lot.
Perhaps this is just because we love to cook in our family, but we talk about food A LOT. We grocery shop together, we purchase strange new ingredients to try, we read books about food, we play with toy food in Em’s play kitchen, we SING about food, etc., etc.. After breakfast and usually at least once more throughout the day, I’ll often mention what is coming up for dinner to peak Em’s interest. You can also put food names into familiar songs, or make up your own silly chants or rhymes. I made up a recent favorite on the fly while walking home from the park one day. We were having turkey tacos with black beans and rice for dinner, so I started chanting, “Turkey and beans and rice…yummy, yummy, yummy!” Totally simple, but catchy, and Em loved it. Now I can throw any food names into that chant and she recognizes it as a fun song that gets her excited about dinner.
Give choices.
Kids are more likely to cooperate if they feel as though they have some say in the matter. We’re all for giving choices wherever we can, and it seems to work especially well when it comes to food. This can work in a few ways:
Give little ones “controlled” choices, meaning YOU are choosing what the options are. The child just gets to choose between the choices. It’s a win-win. “Would you like strawberries or mango for lunch?” “Would you like yogurt or cottage cheese with dinner?” I’m happy with either option and she’s happy that she has some control over what she’s choosing to eat.
Allow your child to serve himself, with the expectations that he take some of everything and he can always go back for more. Even toddlers can do this, with some hand-over-hand assistance. You may be surprised at the positive effect this strategy can have at getting kids to try something new. As a bonus, you can teach them about portion control. If they fill up and still have half a plate of food left, use that as a teaching moment to talk about taking smaller servings at the start next time.
Let them explore and “play” with their food.
This tip goes directly against what you may remember your mother or grandmother (or Randy and Ralphie’s mom from A Christmas Story) telling you, “Don’t play with your food…eat it!” Many of the learning activities that connect with the recipes we share on this site involve “playing” with your food in some way. It’s an easy way for kids to become familiar with a new food, without feeling pressured to taste or eat it right away.
Try something new yourself.
We all have things we don’t like to eat. For me (and my sister), it’s mushrooms. Seriously can’t stand them. Every so often, I try them again, thinking that maybe I’ve changed my mind. And even though the outcome is always the same, at least I gave it a shot. That’s the lesson I’d like to pass onto Em. You don’t have to like everything (almost everyone has some things they truly won’t eat), and that’s okay. But give it another try. You can also try something brand new that you’ve never tried. Earlier this summer, Em and I came across a starfruit in the grocery store. We thought it was interesting, so we brought it home, tried it and loved it. How ’bout that.
