Having kids in the kitchen can seem like an overwhelming and daunting experience and is a personal parenting decision. However, the more you can get your children involved in the process of making their food, the more invested they become in it, and the more likely they will eat it. This can be as simple as asking them what they want to eat, taking them shopping for the ingredients, or explaining what the foods are that will go into their meals. Depending on their age, it can also be having them involved more in the cooking process. Click here or here for great resources about age-appropriate ways to get your kids in the kitchen. 

No matter how old we are, we always eat with our eyes first. We are more excited to try foods when we are enticed by them, kids especially. Since children are still learning new foods, what they taste like, and if they like them, serving them foods that are pleasing to the eye will help draw them in. A great way to do this is by eating the rainbow! Serve bright, colorful foods and showcase their vibrance. Foods like bell peppers, purple cabbage, carrots, red onions, and tomatoes are great, vibrant options. Serving food in fun shapes is another way to entice your kids. You can use cookie cutters to shape bread, tortillas, or cucumbers. You can also make scenes with sliced food, like faces or the sun. Building these scenes with your kids is another way to get them involved! 

Eating with your hands is another way to experience food. For kids who are just learning about new foods, this gives them an opportunity to get to know the food before they try it. It can also be more fun and a simpler introduction to different foods. If finger food is too messy for your family, try dips! Dips are an easy finger food that make seemingly boring foods like veggies much more fun. Click here for a list of delicious dips to try.  

Having a build–your–own meal night is a controlled way to let kids run the kitchen. They can make their own decisions as to what toppings they add, how much they add, and where they add them. Since they made their own meal tailored specifically to them, your kids will be much more open to trying a food. Click here for some build-your-own meal ideas.  

Trying new things can be scary, but learning about them first can help ease that fear. Before feeding your little ones, teach them about those foods first. You can draw pictures of them, list out what colors they are, find out what they smell and feel like, or see what type of plant they grow on and where they grow. You can also teach kids what the benefits of different foods are – like carrots are good for their eyes! Equating these benefits to superpowers is a fun way to keep things age–appropriate.