Healthy living is something we’re all concerned about as adults, but when you’re a kid, it’s the last thing on your mind – and rightfully so! But to try and make that transition easier, you’re going to want to teach the kids that eating healthily can be fun and tasty. So here’s a couple of tips for making sure your children are interested in picking up fruits and vegetables more than they are sweets and treats.
Understand the Limitations
Your kids won’t find all the ins and out of healthy eating interesting, and they definitely won’t always be having fun, so let’s make sure that as adults we get our heads around that. The same way you wouldn’t want to have to look into hiring a Lawyer for Cerebral Palsy, the kids won’t want to always listen to your healthy eating lectures – they will often roll their eyes and turn their attention away from the meal plate diagram you have in front of you.
So make sure you’re kid friendly with what you have to say, and even wait until your little ones are a bit older with a bit more patience if you really have no other way to phrase things. But read on if you’re trying to make a healthy eating habit a lot more relevant for the fussy four-year-old in front of you!
Make it a Game
There are lots of games you can play with food, such as making boats and planes and cars and people out of different ingredients that the kids can then sink their teeth into. Kids are a lot more likely to want to eat the apples, nuts, bananas, and bits of broccoli that make up the 747 they’ve just crafted, as these foods are now in the shape of an object they know and love! And there’s always a bit of chocolate you can dip the end of the banana in, just to make the snack a bit sweeter.
Go Outside as a Family
Your kids like to play, and they like to play outside, and you like to sit inside and watch them. Well, exercising goes hand in hand with healthy eating, and the more your kids are playing, the more chance you have to offer them healthy foods that are going to refill their energy! Their bodies would love to snack on citrusy items that are going to top up their hunger and water levels, and they’re not going to be reaching for the chocolate when you’ve got fruit pieces to hand out.
Serve up orange slices when they get a bit tired and want to have a sit-down, or break out the protein bars and a bit of jam or honey to dip them into. And of course, you should get involved in the outside activities your kids usually play alone and help to set a good example for the future!
Healthy living can be fun, so make sure that’s the side the kids see of it!