1. Introduction
Are you worried that “your child isn’t interested in food” or “it’s difficult to plan meals because they’re picky eaters”? Actually, planning meals together is very effective in getting children more engaged with food! When you discuss what dishes to make, it nurtures their interest in food, and they develop the mindset of “I’ll try it because I chose it!” In this article, we’ll introduce the benefits of meal planning with children and fun ideas to implement it.
2. Practical Points and Examples
- “Benefits of Planning Meals with Children”
Planning meals together has these positive effects on children:
- Increased desire to eat: They develop the attitude “I want to try it because I chose it!”
- Helps overcome picky eating: They become more curious about “What does it taste like?”
- Learn about nutritional balance: Creates opportunities to think “Let’s add some vegetables to the side dishes”
Tip: Respecting children’s opinions helps develop their independence!
- “How to Plan Meals Together”
Here are specific ways to involve children in meal planning.
- Hold a “Menu Meeting” once a week
- Ask “What would you like to eat next week?” and plan together
- Discuss not just dish names, but ingredients and cooking methods too
- Create shopping lists together
- Have children list the ingredients needed for the planned meals
- Use grocery shopping as an opportunity to think about “What dishes would this vegetable go well with?”
Tip: Let children participate freely by not rejecting their ideas!
- “Fun Ways for Children to Choose Meals”
Try these ideas to make every meal exciting:
- Set themes for each day (Example)
- Monday: Pasta Day (Meat sauce or cream pasta)
- Wednesday: Soup Day (Vegetable soup or potage)
- Friday: Favorite Food Request DAY (Children’s favorite dishes)
- Choose menus by drawing lots
- Write dish names on paper and decide by drawing lots
- Makes it fun to wonder “What dish will we get next?”
- Create a “Want to Eat” sheet
- Make a list of desired dishes to choose from
- Update it together as a family by sharing ideas
Tip: Making menu planning feel like a game increases children’s excitement!
- “Dividing Cooking Tasks with Children”
After planning the menu, gradually involving them in meal preparation increases their interest in food even more.
- Tasks even young children can do
- Washing rice, making rice balls
- Washing vegetables, plating dishes
- Tasks for more experienced children
- Cracking and mixing eggs
- Cooking pancakes and hamburgers
Tip: Building confidence by gradually assigning tasks they can handle!
3. Important Points and Tips
- “Don’t aim for perfection”
It’s OK if the shape isn’t perfect as long as children enjoy making it!
- “Don’t force vegetables”
It’s important to think together about “How can we make these vegetables taste delicious?”
- “Use positive reinforcement”
Praise children’s ideas with comments like “That’s a great menu!” and “You thought of such a delicious meal!”
4. Summary and Next Steps
Planning meals with children nurtures their interest in food and creates habits of looking forward to meals! Let’s start with:
- Hold a weekly “Menu Meeting”
- Make it fun by incorporating daily themes and drawing lots
- Give children small roles in cooking as first steps! Enjoying meals together as parent and child naturally expands their food horizons!
