Summer is the time for adventures, so why not extend that sense of exploration into what we eat? Once school’s out that means more meals at home, so it’s the perfect opportunity to initiate a healthy eating challenge for kids in just 3 easy steps! Bonus if caregivers join in – kids are more likely to try new foods and be within a healthy weight range if they see parents getting involved!
Explore a Food Related Event!
When children see where food comes from -- or even better, if they can harvest the food themselves -- new foods become more tangible, and kids are more willing to them. Make an adventure out of visiting a farmer’s market, a farm where you can pick your own produce or cultural festivals!
Discover a New Physical Activity!
Have fun and get active this summer with something you’ve always wanted to try. Go horseback riding, kayaking, paddle boarding, biking, fishing, hiking or plant a garden -- to name a few. You’ll make family memories and get in shape at the same time.
Experiment with New Foods!
As simple as it sounds -- try new foods! Children cannot try foods that are not offered to them. Have them choose a new food every week, then enjoy family bonding as you go shopping for that food and research ways to prepare it. And for those foods that kids have refused in the past, why not make them look more appealing? Get creative with foods and suddenly a tangerine become a sunshine, strawberries become flower petals and carrots become a lion’s mane. Help kids create artwork with the foods offered!
Use this card to get a competition going between kids. The rules are limited only by your imagination. You may have kids race to see who can try all the foods on the card first, or assign points to each food, awarding a prize to the person with the most points at the end of summer. It’s all about making foods fun!
