How to Encourage Children to Try New Foods

When a kid starts growing his sense of independence, you may notice that the ̶0;I̵7;ll eat anything̶1; attitude is now replaced with a shake of the head, pinched mouth and upturned nose whenever an unfamiliar food is presented. Kids establish their food preferences early on in life, usually within the first 6 years of life, according to the National Association for the Education of Young Children. To encourage your child to try new foods, make it a fun and interesting endeavor that the whole family is involved in.

Things You'll Need

  • Cookie cutters
  • Kitchen knives

Instructions

    • 1

      Be a healthy food role model. Your child will be much more likely to eat new foods if she sees you trying them, too. Be enthusiastic about the new foods.

    • 2

      Make faces. You don̵7;t want to just throw down a strange new food and say ̶0;Eat.̶1; Make it look more appetizing and kid-friendly by getting creative with the presentation. Use cookie cutters or knives to cut the foods into animals or familiar characters. Mix items to make goofy faces. For instance, a piece of whole grain toast can be dressed up with a layer of almond or sunflower butter, a papaya slice for the mouth, blueberries for eyes and pretzels for hair.

    • 3

      Call the foods names. If you name the new foods something silly, your child may just give it a try. Cece Celery, Larry Lentil, Doc Dragonfruit and Sally Squash are must more appealing to a child.

    • 4

      Offer one new food at a time and serve it with a more popular food item. Don̵7;t overwhelm your child with a whole plate of unidentifiable foods. For instance, try introducing spaghetti squash with your child̵7;s favorite meatballs or sauce.

    • 5

      Ask your child to help you pick out new foods to try. Go to the grocery store and seek out a new item. If your child is part of the decision making process, he may be more apt to actually eat it. If your child is old enough, ask him to help you prepare the food.

    • 6

      Offer a variety of healthy familiar foods throughout the week. This not only leads to a healthy diet, but the change can help lower your child̵7;s natural tendency to reject new foods.

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