The aim of this book is to show ways of encouraging children to eat that are fun, and also to give recipes that are nutritious, uncomplicated and popular. There may be some that will look sourly upon children having fun while eating, but most cooks are happy to see their slaved over meals eaten with enthusiasm. It has instilled in my lot an unusual willingness to try new foods. Children’s imaginations are generally very fertile and if, when given something to eat, their thoughts are more along the lines of “This should be fun” rather than “Yuk! its got onions” half the battle has been won!
At the same time I have learnt that it is pointless to force them to eat something that is really disliked. It is important that children actually enjoy food, and so I have searched for recipes that are considered “healthy” and adapted old favourites to make them appealing to the young.
I have learnt that different strategies suit different children. What will work with one child may not work with another. Some will eat better if they know that a meal has been made especially for them, yet another needs to be told that the meal has been made for someone else to make it desirable! It can be a complex business.
YET MORE STRATEGIES TO ENCOURAGE KIDS TO EAT THE GOOD STUFF!
NAMES – Make up exciting names that are unique to your family for meals. You can use your children’s name (looster’s rooster was one – Louis’ nickname with chicken) the name of a cartoon character, names that sound funny (tickle chops for stir fry, no idea why!) or names that resemble the food (we called a green leafy vegetable ‘aliens’ tongues’) jumping beans, trees, snow trees etc.
PORTIONS – keeping portions small really does help a fussy eater, you can always give them more. Also cutting vegetables into smaller pieces makes it more appetising, and only half fill spoons if you are spoon feeding.
CHANGE SLOWLY – Introduce new foods occasionally to start with and build up slowly. At the same time give those less healthy foods less frequently so that, after a while, they may be practically forgotten! Try not to bribe them with sweets or food related rewards, but rather with stories or games or other such positive things!
NUMBERS – I firmly believe that one fussy child alone is the most difficult to feed. Try getting him/her to eat with others if possible (although there is the risk that if one says “I don’t like it” the other will follow.) Can someone else supervise the meal if your darling refuses to eat? They sometimes offer up little resistance to another.
COMPROMISE – This is a tricky road to go down and I wouldn’t advise it for every child. However, sometimes a game of compromise does work whereby you both take the roles of hardened barterers and bargain using food. With a fork, divide the portion up into 2/3 one side and 1/3 the other and say they are to have the larger, they will come back with their deal showing their division, continue until an agreement can be found.
RELAX – A child knows when you are anxious and will often play you up. Try to feign nonchalance, at the first “I don’t like that” put their minds on something else, talk about another topic, act as though you’re not particularly bothered. If there is no change in eating habits using the above strategies, the likelihood is they know what you are up to and have no intention of falling into your schemes. So, take it away, not in anger but in a “Good, I can have it later for myself/save it for someone else” way that reinforces the meal is too good to throw away. Never force them to eat but offer no alternative. They won’t starve!
PRAISE AND EDUCATE – When they start to eat well say “well done!” make them feel special. “Do you know not many children know how to eat that, you must be growing up” Explain briefly how the food works and what it can do, letting them know a bit about the benefits and how it will speed them up to be a strong 3 (4,5,6,7,8) year old. Children are desperate to grow older!
GAMES
I have found games that are based around food nearly always create a more enthusiastic approach to a meal, especially if they involve a bit of competition. They can be played with just one child but are most effective when a small group get together at the table. I play them when I am feeling particularly energetic. Be warned though, manners can go out of the window, sometimes there is little appreciation for the food you have cooked, and you may need to quell arguments. On the other hand, the fact that even the most unpopular foods get devoured, and the fun that they have when eating these foods, to my mind, justifies most disadvantages. It is a good idea to have some sort of privilege for the winner, maybe they don’t have to clear the table, or they get to choose the bedtime story, something in that line, as it makes them keener for the next game! I use the games sparingly, if children cotton on to the real reason for the games, they may not find them quite so entertaining.
SIMPLE SIMON SAYS
This is an energetic and fun game. If you start the sentence with the words “Simple Simon says” then the order must be obeyed. If there is no Simple Simon Says, then the order should be ignored.
Imagine you have a plate of chicken, peas, carrots and potatoes
“Simple Simon says put some green food in your mouth”
“Simple Simon says swallow some orange food with your eyes closed”
“Put some chicken on your fork – ah caught you out, I didn’t say Simple Simon says!”
“Simple Simon says chew on some chicken ten times”
“Simple Simon says put some potato in some gravy, eat it and say yum! Yum!”
“Taste a carrot! Come on taste a carrot! Ah you are far too clever, you know….” Etc. etc.
You will find they are only too eager to start again if they have been caught out.
DICEY DICEY
For this you need a dice (or di) If you have two children, one take even numbers and one take odd numbers. If there are three children or more, they each take one number and the left over numbers can either be void or used to make a fool of the supervisor (you). The object of the game is to be the first one to empty their plate.
Amid great interest you throw the first dice. Whoever gets the number gets a mouthful of food and gets to roll the dice. If it is a void number or fool number, you can make a forfeit. (Be careful here!)
This carries on until someone has polished off a plateful, is heralded as the winner and given heroic respect. For the ones left behind there can be consolation prizes up your sleeve, as long as they don’t eclipse the winner.
CHEW CHEW CHEW
This game is better for the 3-4 age group and children with faulty digestion who need to eat their food more slowly! You put the emphasis on knowing how to count to 20 and animal actions (to take their minds further away from the real point of the game). And then test them via their chewing ability. “If you can count to five- lets see you chew this piece of carrot five times and then twitch your whiskers like a rabbit”
“Now this is a more difficult one, chew this chicken 15 times and then bray like a donkey” Of course you can go to higher numbers, it just depends on your patience and the toughness of the food.
TOM’S SHOES
Yet again you may be needed to supervise this one as it has been known for children to accuse each other of cheating over the most ridiculous things. The aim of the game is to be the first to finish a plate of food. No.1 person will close their eyes, fork poised over food and no.2 will ask a simple question based on objects and people in the room. “What colour shoes is Tom wearing?” or “How many forks are there on the table?” type of question. If No.1 can answer correctly without looking, they get to eat a forkful of food. If not, they get nothing, and No.2 is asked a question by the next person. Hopefully, they will all answer correctly at some stage and all the food is polished off. If that were not enough, they are also practising those all-important observational skills.
ALPHABET
Again, the aim of the game is to be the first to finish a plate of food. Each child chooses a letter of the alphabet, (try to steer them clear from the more unusual ones) You then shout out a random word and give them 5 seconds (10 for younger ones) to decide whether their letter is in the word. If it is, then they get to eat a mouthful. If not, they wait. Luckily the referee can decide which person needs a mouthful and shout out words accordingly.
LUCINDA’S GAME
This goes with the Lucinda Spite story (TBP) Children close their eyes and have to guess what is being put in their mouths, you then complicate it by mixing 2 or 3 different foods together, showing great astonishment if they can guess, maybe pretending to be a bit miffed, “Well, you won’t guess this one then….” It is best played with two or more, giving each person a go in turn and not shoving too much down too quickly, rather go slowly to make them more eager for their next mouthful to guess. I once played this with Louis in a hospital ward when it was lunchtime. All the other children in the ward joined in and most of the food was eaten (despite it being disgusting to taste) proof that it works.
WHAT AM I EATING MR WOLF?
Children tend to get a bit excited over this one, so I would not advise it for anyone with a bad digestion. Nevertheless, the game can be controlled, and Mr Wolf can slow it down. You need one person who is not eating to be Mr Wolf. He/she turns his/her back to the table and someone says “what am I eating Mr Wolf?” Everyone starts to eat but when he turns around everyone goes as still as possible, he tries to catch someone still chewing, if someone is caught, Mr Wolf must guess what is in their mouth. If he guesses right, he scores a point, if wrong the other person gets the point.
HEADS OR TAILS
Children divide into heads or tails. Spin a coin and shout out whichever one it lands on. When it lands on the correct one, eat a portion. If not wait until it does. Whoever empties their plates first is the winner.
THE WORLD CUP
This little beauty never fails when I can muster up enough energy to referee the table! As three of my children are boys, the out-of-date belief that football is a boy’s sport thrills wildly in their hearts, and they get quite heated if they feel they may be beaten by one of their sisters or cousins. Each child becomes a football team or player of their choice. Portion out the meal, every portion represents a possible goal to be scored into the mouth. A normal plate could be portioned into 5, each portion represents a goal. Make sure they have the same number of portions and cheer madly when a whole potion has scored. You can prioritise what gets the most excited cheers – I always keep them for green vegetables as the meat and carbs usually score easily. Add up how many portions have gone at the end, and the one who has eaten the most wins! You will generally find that Arsenal win.