The holiday season is quickly approaching! Many holiday traditions involve gathering around food with family and friends. If you have a child that could be considered a “picky eater”, these events that are meant to be enjoyable can quickly turn stressful for you and your child. There can be so much pressure during these mealtimes for you as a parent and for your child that a negative relationship with food can start to emerge for everyone involved. So why not try creating positive food experiences outside of mealtime? Listed below are some simple ways for your child to interact with a variety of foods without the pressure of eating them during a family dinner. Creating more positive experiences with non-preferred foods can help decrease anxiety with these foods!

• Food Paintbrush
• Use non-preferred foods (broccoli, carrots, lettuce, apple slices, etc.) as the paintbrush with regular paint!
  
• Paint with Foods
• Use foods such as applesauce, whipped cream, flavored gelatin, peanut butter, jelly, or other wet/sticky foods as a paint
• Add food coloring to create more excitement for increased engagement with the foods!
• Use a regular paintbrush or encourage your child to use their hands as a paintbrush!
  
• Food Pictures
• Use non-preferred foods to create pictures! See pictures below for ideas to get started! Be creative!

a fruit porcupine

a sandwich kite

• Tic-Tac-Toe With Food
• Create a tic-tac-toe board on paper and use pieces of non-preferred foods as “x’s” and “o’s”
• If your child is hesitant to touch the foods, use kitchen tongs or toothpicks to move the food
  
• Baking/Cooking
• Encourage your child to help you in the kitchen when you are baking or cooking, especially when preparing foods for the holidays!
• You can have your child pour pre-measured ingredients, stir ingredients together, or carry supplies from cupboard to countertop.
• Having your child involved in any of the cooking or baking processes while they are having fun is creating positive experiences with foods!

These activities can involve just your child, you and your child, or even other siblings and similar aged-peers! Allowing your child to make choices and to lead the activity can help decrease anxiety with these food play activities. Just remember, this should be a positive experience with your child, the foods, and you! 

Porcupine Picture from https://www.superhealthykids.com/recipes/porcupine-fun-fruit/ 

Kite Picture from https://www.purewow.com/family/food-art-ideas-for-kids 

Back