Turn Healthy Eating into Fun and Games

Persuading your kids to eat their veggies, as every parent knows, is very often the furthest thing from being all fun and games. Healthy eating can be less stressful and even a little more fun with the advice of a few experts who know how to turn a chore into a game.

Vegetables
Vegetables / Mark Hooper / CC BY 2.0

Play “I Spy.”

The Produce for Better Health Foundation recommends having kids play “I Spy” in the produce section of the grocery store. Use the game to help identify new and interesting fruits and veggies for the family to try that week.

Take their dares.

Sarah Krieger, MPH, RD, LD recommends setting an example for your kids by letting them see you try new foods. Turn the activity into a dare and let kids pick out an unusual 3 Guiding Stars item. The rule: if they make you eat it, they have to try a few bites too.

Make some awesome art.

Produce for Kids suggests a game called “Alphabet Soup” to help kids learn the importance of fruit and veggies. Make an alphabet or rainbow chart and let kids write down the new foods the try and draw pictures of what the food does for their body. Collards, for example, could go under “C” or “green.” Because collard greens are high in vitamin C and calcium, kids might draw about being healthy or having strong bones.

Don’t forget to use our Food Finder to help you and your kids learn the healthy details of all your favorite fruits and veggies!