Many people have expressed that it is a challenge to get their kids to try something new. I can completely relate to this. I have not always been an adventurous eater and although the foods that I now eat are fairly varied, I still sometimes struggle when trying something new.
One way to help your kids with trying something new is to make it fun- make it an event. Therefore, today's challenge is to implement: "Try a New Food Tuesday."
There are a few ways that you could do this:
1. You could choose the food and let your kids know that on Tuesdays the whole family will be trying something new. At first you may choose foods that are similar to foods that you already know that they like in order to set them up for success. Give them the opportunity to try the food and then share their thoughts (verbally, in a journal, etc.) They may enjoy coming up with a rating system (stars, smiley faces, etc.) If you have decided to create a "Foods I Like" poster, this will also provide them with an opportunity to add a new food to their posters.
2. You could present your children with several choices of new foods and allow them to pick which they would like to try.
3. You could take your children to the store and allow them to choose a new food to try.
4. If you have a baby or toddler, I suggest trying a small amount of the food today and then reintroducing a small amount each day for a week.
Remember when trying something new to keep the portion size very small- one piece, one bite, etc. This makes it much less intimidating.
Be sure to stop back and share what your kids tried! If they're old enough, you may even want to let them take over your blog and "blog" about their new discovery!! (Hmmm... I'm thinking this would be right up my daughter's ally... I may have to give it a try myself!)
You can share via link-up or in the comments...
I'll be making this a weekly linky!
I like the idea of keeping the portions small until the kids embrace the idea. Thank you for stopping by my blog
ReplyDeleteThanks Olusola- That is my favorite tip to be honest... there's nothing worse than staring at an entire plate of food that you don't want to eat, but just one piece or just one bite- that's doable :)
ReplyDeleteMy 4.5 year old tried Garbanzo Beans. It may not have been my shining moment because I did make him try a half of one and he did cry, but after the fit he threw he ended up eating the other half of it and saying he liked it, but didn't want any more. Making him try maybe not the best choice, but the end result I think was worth him saying hmmm...it's really not that bad. This was all the while his 13 month old sister was shoving them in her mouth.
ReplyDeleteHa! Things don't always go exactly as we'd like them to... It's awesome that he he ate the other half! My babies always loved garbonzo beans... I'm not a big fan of them on their own, but I love them in the form of hummus! Maybe you can try that next!
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