barbara jean the story queen

“Food Cop” Fun at the Table

“FOOD COP”: A GAME TO MAKE HEALTHY EATING FUN FOR KIDS

Kids are like the rest of us: we all like to think we’re in charge. If not all the time, at least once in a while.

One day a week, have your kids take turns acting as “food cop” at the dinner table. Let the chosen one have fun with it. Find a cap with a badge at a costume shop and let him wear it at the table. Pin a star to her shirt. Give him a whistle. (Or not. Personally, I’d rather not have a whistle interrupt my dining experience!)

Remind your kids that good policemen are polite and respectful, that they are examples for the community, and that their job is to serve and protect.

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN: 2 EASY, BREEZY SUMMER SALADS + 1 COOL DIP

When kids sink their teeth into healthy foods like vegetables, fruit, lean meats and whole grains, they develop a taste for those foods that will stay with them for a lifetime. To get kids invested in healthy eating, the next best thing to having them grow their own healthy foods is to have them cook it. One of my favorite resources is The Mayo Clinic Kids’ Cookbook (Good Books 2012), which introduces kids ages 8-12 to the kitchen–not only with fun and healthy recipes but with nutritional information, cooking abbreviations, conversion charts, kitchen equipment and safety tips. Most kids love kitchen projects. Let them at it!

BROCCOLI FUN! 8 GREAT BROCCOLI ACTIVITIES

Think back to an unfamiliar food a parent insisted you eat. Tap into that feeling and you’ll remember how scary new foods can be for kids.

Ushering in a new food can be difficult. Sometimes it’s easier to introduce a veggie off the plate than on it. Read a book, watch a video, look at art. Make a costume. Color. Sing. Dance!

Go gently. Be patient. Whet your children’s appetites with fun. Check out these great ideas and choose the ones you think will motivate your kids. No telling what might happen…. But wouldn’t it be great to have your child beg, “Please, Mom! Can we have broccoli tonight?”

12 FUN FACTS ABOUT BROCCOLI

Broccoli? Fun? Are you wondering if I’m maybe a little crazy?

Here’s the deal: 90% of getting kids to try a new food is getting them ready to try it. “Selling” it to them. Making it “cool.” Making it fun! Plopping a pile of overdone broccoli on a plate and saying, “Eat it, it’s good for you” usually doesn’t do the job.

Check out these fun (and surprising) facts about broccoli with your kids.

FUN WITH VEGGIES: ART, BOOKS, ACTIVITIES, SONGS

Does your child turn up his nose at vegetables? Would she rather miss out on dessert than finish her greens?

Children often do not like trying new foods. Sometimes we have to talk them into taking just one bite of something new–and do it every day for a couple of weeks, months, maybe even longer–before they decide that maybe it isn’t so bad after all. And might actually be delicious! (It doesn’t hurt to dream….)