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Top 10 Tips for Mealtime Fun

If you have a young child who is not eating well then perhaps you need to create a little mealtime fun. Children like to eat when they are hungry and it may be the case that when mealtime comes around they do not have much of an appetite. Therefore the games they were playing or the television program they were watching will seem much more inviting. This can mean that not only do you have a problem getting them to the table, but they are unlikely to show a great deal of interest when they get there. The next thing you know they will be asking to get down from the table to go and play.

In order to compete with the fun and games they can have away from the table it can help to inject a bit of fun into mealtimes. This can help to entice them to stay longer at the table and eat more. Who knows? They may even become so distracted that they plough their way through that big plate of vegetables.

1. Include children in the preparation

Although it is unlikely that a child will willingly participate in chores around the kitchen they do like to be involved in making and cooking dishes. They find mixing ingredients fun. They are also far more likely to enjoy eating something they have made.

2. Cut food into interesting shapes

Plain, ordinary food can look unexciting to a child. Although there can be some waste involved teddy bar shaped sandwiches, or food shaped like stars, triangles or hearts can help make eating fun.

3. Make faces

Likewise when you are putting food out on a plate see if you can make it into a face shape. More or less any food can be cut up into round shapes for eyes and noses, while longer, thinner shapes will make a mouth.

4. Cut food up

Many children find large slabs of food daunting. This can be off putting. Try cutting food up into bite sized pieces. These are easy for children to get hold of and easier to manage all round.

5. Try grating

Even adults enjoy eating grated food. Carrot mountain or cheese hill can be too tempting to a toddler even if they didn't really feel time eating in the first place.

6. Name that food

It is a lot more fun eating Sidney Sausage then just a plain old sausage. Try your children on Benny's Banana, Colin the Carrot and even Sally Spinach. This method is unlikely to be successful with teenagers!

7. Let them get messy

It is tempting to feed a young child simply to avoid the mess. As soon as they can handle smaller pieces of food leave it up to them to feed themselves. Throw in a bit of encouragement to make them feel good and you might be surprised by how much they tuck away.

8. Play games at the table

If you have a short break between courses why not play a game? Something simple like I Spy will make mealtimes more fun. If your child is too young to play this sort of game then try singing. If you don't enjoy singing then try a CD of nursery rhymes.

9. Invite a friend

Even young children think it's an event when someone else turns up for lunch. Invite a friend round to eat with them. Try and pick one that you know is a good eater and with luck they will follow the example.

10. Turn vegetables into an aeroplane

I know this is an old one, but it does work. When you are having trouble getting a child to open their mouth for food they are likely to start opening up if you make a game of the situation and turn the spoon into an aeroplane.

What do you think?
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