“VEGETABLES & CHILDREN”
As a former child care provider, I was always interested in finding ways to encourage children to eat more vegetables. I came to realize that children often ate foods better when they had been involved in the food preparation. Children get so much pleasure from cooking and baking and get so little opportunity. So many of the day care parents are rushed and busy, working in the kitchen with their children becomes difficult. When we take time to work in the kitchen with the children, we are well rewarded by their enjoyment of the process.
I decided one of the best approaches to vegetables was reading the book “Stone Soup,” by Marcia Brown, to the children. The children become fascinated by the fact that you can make soup from a stone and each person giving a little of what they have. Children love the story because they want to believe in magic and because they will get to cook with you by making vegetable soup.
So how do we get those children to eat vegetables? Children learn to like something because they associate that item with something they already like. If we serve macaroni and cheese as a side dish, perhaps they can be encouraged to eat more vegetables to get more macaroni and cheese. By eating more, perhaps they will acquire a taste for veggies. In the case of the stone soup, children like to cook with us. They are much more likely to try something they have helped prepare. You can use any of the soup starters when making soup. Another great choice is to cut up fresh vegetables with the children and serve with a vegetable dip.
Kids love taste tests. In the kit this month is a taste test for quiet and crunchy vegetables. You can extend that and make up a chart called “Vegetable Taste Test Chart,” and/or “I tried it and I liked it,” graph.
If you are on a child nutrition program, they often have great activities and color sheets for the children on eating vegetables. Talk to your local rep. The food program also reminds you of the quantities the children need for good health. At lunch a child only needs ½ cup of fruit or vegetables. Look at what the child actually needs and what you serve them. This will help you stay out of worrying they are not eating enough vegetables. Remember too much of even a good food can be bad for you.
Children’s taste buds are different than adults. That is why it is important we serve what they like. It is our job to eliminate stress from mealtime by becoming involved in a power struggle. We also are not a restaurant that can accommodate each child’s food whims of the day.
Enjoy your time with the children by working with vegetables in all these ways. You can influence a child’s eating habits for the rest of his/her life.
