3 ways to get your kids involved in the kitchen and encourage healthy eating habits

If you have a fussy or cautious eater at home, you know what it’s like to spend most of your mealtime trying to encourage them to step out of their comfort zone.

Trying to get them to embrace new and nutritious options can feel like the least of your worries when you just want them to eat.

Many parents want to foster healthier eating habits, however we don’t want to put too much pressure and confuse our little ones who are in the process of developing a sense of their favourite flavours and foods.

These two competing goals make it hard to know where to start!

With this in mind, Culinary Expert Hannah Gilbert has put together her top tips for encouraging children to get involved in the kitchen – and dip their toes into some healthier eating habits while they’re at it.

1. Train your little cooks

One of the best ways to get children to diversify their meals is to involve them in the cooking process. Bring children into the kitchen by giving them easy-to-follow steps, such as washing fruits and vegetables and mixing ingredients together.

This demonstrates how some of their family’s favourite dishes make it from kitchen to table, increasing curiosity when it comes to food and making them feel more familiar with and comfortable around new textures and tastes.

The pride of helping their parent or guardian cook might persuade them to try a bite of a new dish, while also introducing them to essential life skills that will form the basis of many of the meals they cook throughout their lives.

Meal delivery service, HelloFresh features ‘little cooks’ tips on many of its recipes to offer children guidance on how to join in with cooking in an accessible and fun way. Why not try bringing your little cook into the kitchen and see what delicious dishes you can whip up as a team?

2. Enrichment in the kitchen

Another tactic to encourage new eating habits in children is to link the dishes you prepare to their interests or lessons they may be covering in school.

With Harmony Week coming up on the March 20, 2023, now is the ideal time for families to harness the lessons around multiculturalism that their children will be enjoying at school to bring that positive, inclusive energy into the kitchen.

This Easy Chicken Veggie Korma Curry is a great family friendly recipe that you and your child can cook and enjoy together, opening up a window into new and exciting dishes from other cultures in the comfort of your own kitchen.

3. Use bright colour and designs

Using brightly coloured food such as fruits and vegetables is a great way to encourage children to opt for healthier snacks full of nutrients and vitamins.

From preparing rainbow fruit skewers to bulking out pastas and stews with vivid vegetables and richly coloured sauces, visually exciting meals will encourage children to eat their way through rainbow-coloured plates – and to absorb all of the extra nutrition while doing it.