Parenting Guru: A fun way to get your picky eaters to enjoy new foods

At the beginning of each school year, I read all kinds of inspiring articles about lunchbox creativity. I buy "fun" (and healthy) new items to try, but within a month or so, we've settled into a few easy favorites (and by favorites I mean things that, for the most part, get eaten). This leads to my son rolling his eyes when I tell him what's for lunch and me lecturing him about manners. But, frankly, I don't blame him. I get tired of the same stuff too.

So when I saw what my friend, Terra, did with her boys recently, I had to share it. (It's no surprise the most playful, unique spin I've seen on taste testing came from the owner of one of the coolest online stores for unique baby gifts-no exaggeration-FlyingPeas.com.) Prepare to be impressed…

When Terra's son asked if he could "take a break from carrots", she realized she was struggling with lunchbox creativity. But how does a dedicated mom of three-who also happens to work in the corporate world and run her own business-have the time or energy to spice things up for kids who tend to resist trying new things?

By making a game out of it, of course. One that would excite and empower her little guys and allow her to walk away with a great new list of food ideas. Here's how she organized and executed her Snack Attack! fun:

Step 1: Make green, yellow and red voting cards with your kids' initials on them to represent yes, maybe and no. (Being the smarty pants that she is, Terra made 16 green, 8 red and 4 yellows for each kid-since letting them vote no on everything would defeat the purpose.)

Step 2: Invite your kids to come "play" and present them with small tastes of a variety of foods. As they sample each, encourage them to cast their votes.

Step 3: Take a picture of their votes next to the food, or write each food on a label sticker in advance and slap it on the card after each vote.

Step 4: After they've tried everything, put the results into a spreadsheet and hang it in the kitchen cabinet for inspiration. You can also give a copy to caretakers and relatives who wonder what to feed your kids.

Ok parents, I challenge you to give this a try. I know I'm going to! It should be interesting in our house since my 2-year old is one of the pickiest eaters on earth…or maybe he's just plain bored! Goodness knows my boys will love, love, love having the chance to form their very own opinion (that's kind of their thing, after all), choosing the right color and casting their vote.

Do you have other ideas for getting your little ones to eat a variety of foods? How do you stay inspired to prepare different things?


Amy is a Shine Parenting Guru and also writes about all things parenting at her slice-of-life blog, Using Our Words.