Fun with Food Activities- Making Kids Food Fun

How do you create fun with food activities during meal time?  If you want kids to be interested in healthy eating you need to make food fun and creative. There are several ways to make food appealing to kids and encourage kids to eat their fruits and vegetables.

Planned Kids Cooking Curriculum

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Having Fun with Food Ideas

Make mini versions of dinner. If you are making meatloaf, for example, make mini loaves or shape your meatloaf into fun creations. I have several mini pans shaped like stars, hearts and trees. These work great for meatloaf but you don't have to have mini pans to create. Meatloaf will shape well and then can be placed on a tin foil lined cookie sheet for the easiest cleanup. Meatloaf is also a great recipe to include pureed or finely chopped vegetables. Other mini versions could be mini meatballs, small taco shells or mini pies.

Unleash the creativity in your kids by letting them create their dinner into a Picasso design or animal. Use vegetables, shredded cheese, chopped nuts, cornflakes or whatever you have that goes with your dinner.


Many times I arrange the food into a funny face depending on what we're having. For example, create mashed potato hair or beard, meatball or hard boiled eggs for eyes and green beans for hair. Kids love the surprise and they enjoy being able to eat the face a little at a time.




Here are some more ideas for creating fun with food.

• Create baked potatoes to look like animals by using vegetables and shredded cheese.

• Make chicken or beef kabobs into caterpillars. Use a tomato or mushroom for the head.

• Make homemade pizzas and let kids decorate faces with the toppings or making artful creations. Or cut cheese slices out with mini cookie cutters and place on the pizza.
  
  

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Stock up on fun cookie cutters. Cut whatever you can into fun shapes. Kids love this and it is so simple it is worth implementing in your meals.

Do theme dinners or international dinner nights. Create a menu and make a "big" deal out of dinner.

Kids love to eat with their hands so try some  ideas for fun finger foods.

Create homemade taco salad bowls or scoop out the inside of a roll for a bread bowls for soup.


See more cooking in a cup ideas and recipes.

Add an easy dip recipe to your meals. Serve the dip in a fancy or small serving dish.

Try making some simple smoothie recipes. They can easily be made into a fun drink by pouring in a decorative glass and top with a umbrella toothpick or fun straw.

Try some fun picnic ideas and recipes. Picnics are a great way for kids to get involved packing and preparing.

Let kids create vegetable platters or fruit platters to serve with dinner. Let them decide on how to arrange them. You'll might be surprised what they come up with. I was!


Using fruit kids already love and changing it a little to suit a theme or holiday is a simple way to make food fun.

More Fun with Food Ideas

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6 ways playing with your food can lead to healthier eating
20 animal theme ideas
A-Z cooking ideas
5 ways to make cooking fun with kids
Kids Cooking Games

Making Fun with Food by Color

A variety of colors gets kids attention so make sure you have a colorful food plate. Choosing foods that look good together is a big part of making food appealing. It may be something many people don't think about but if you make the plate of food look appetizing kids will be more interested in eating it.

Find out what color has to do with making food appealing?

This goes for yummy food on the plate as well as colorful and exciting food. Serve a balance of different colored foods to your family. Seeing one color on the plate isn't going to get anyone to eat their dinner.

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