By Tanni Haas, Ph.D. | Contributor<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve all been there: despite our very best efforts \u2013 and cajoling \u2013 our kids simply won\u2019t eat healthy, home-cooked food. How about trying a new strategy and making healthy eating a fun activity? Here are some fun ways to inspire the kids: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dinner for breakfast<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone knows about \u201cbreakfast for dinner,\u201d but have you ever considered \u201cdinner for breakfast\u201d? \u201cWell, why not,\u201d says Shannon Crocker, a dietician. \u201cIf it was a healthy, balanced meal last night, it\u2019s still a healthy, balanced meal this morning.\u201d If your kids\u2019 favorite food is pizza, serve mini-pizzas with healthy filings like tomato sauce, ham, pineapple, and cheese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cooking club<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Get some of your kids\u2019 friends or classmates together and start a cooking club on afternoons or weekends. You could hire a local culinary student to teach basic cooking skills. \u201cChildren are more likely to eat healthy foods if the presentation is appetizing and if they have a hand in preparation,\u201d says Patti Ghezzi of Greater Good Communication<\/em>, a non-profit that focuses on nutrition and food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Roll-ups<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Have the kids \u201croll\u201d their own food, sushi-style. They can roll whole wheat tortillas with ham and cheese or peanut butter and banana. They can also roll pizzas with shredded mozzarella and tomato sauce. The possibilities are endless. \u201cKids love these fun snacks, and they\u2019re packed with protein, potassium, and filling fiber,\u201d says Angelina Sickora, a dietician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Funny faces <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Take a bunch of vegetables and have the kids make the funniest faces possible on the kitchen counter. Hint: peas are good for eyes. \u201cThis is a great way to increase children\u2019s sensory experiences (and then probably acceptance) with veggies in a fun and entertaining environment,\u201d says Karina Savage, a dietician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Healthy plates <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Have the kids create a meal that includes items from all four food groups: fruits and vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. \u201cAssembling a balanced plate is one of the most practical skills you can teach a child,\u201d says Shannon Doleac, a nutritionist, \u201cand creating plates can become fun nutrition activities for kids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guess the fruit or vegetable <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Put a bunch of fruits and vegetables in a bag, have the kids close their eyes, and ask them to choose one thing. The goal is to guess what it is based on how it feels and smells. \u201cExploring food with all of their senses moves them closer to trusting and eating that food,\u201d says Ms. Savage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dessert as main course<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Put a small portion of dessert on their plates, just enough to keep them hungry and eat the main course. \u201cYou\u2019ll be surprised when your child suddenly takes a bite of dessert along with a bite of something else, instead of just gobbling up the dessert,\u201d says Jennifer House, a nutritionist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guess the fruit<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Have your kids guess which fruit you\u2019re thinking of by describing its color, shape, texture, and taste. \u201cIt\u2019s a great way to have fun while promoting healthy eating in kids,\u201d says Ms. Savage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow their passion<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kids have different passions. Some are interested in certain countries or cultures, others in specific colors or textures. \u201cWhat\u2019s your child\u2019s current obsession?\u201d asks Katie Kick, the author of Good Life Eats<\/em>. \u201cIncorporate that into their food.\u201d Kids are more likely to take an interest in what they eat if it aligns with their passions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Healthy recipes<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n How about having the kids collect all their favorite, healthy recipes and make a book out of them? For added fun, each recipe could have a key ingredient starting with a different letter. \u201cCreating your own family recipe book is always a memorable project,\u201d says Ms. Doleac.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plant person<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Take a bunch of vegetables, put them on the kitchen counter, and ask the kids to make a \u201cplant person.\u201d \u201cOnce you\u2019re done,\u201d says Ms. Savage, \u201cit\u2019s a great chance to ask the kids if they want to eat some of their plant person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let them dip<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For a healthy afternoon snack, give the kids some food they can dip: fruits and vegetables, whole wheat crackers, or pita. The dip could be fat-free yogurt, salsa, or guacamole. \u201cA great dip makes everything better!\u201d says Aracely Rojas, a dietician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plant a garden<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have an outdoor garden, dedicate a small area for the kids to grow their own fruits and vegetables. If not, grow a small kitchen garden. A hydroponic (water) garden is a lot of fun. \u201cKids are invested and interested in foods they\u2019ve watched grow in a way that\u2019s otherwise hard to replicate,\u201d says Alisha Grogan, a pediatric occupational therapist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bake something wholesome<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kids love to bake. Have them help you make a loaf of bread with whole wheat flour or a banana bread with some overripe bananas. \u201cMaking pasta or gnocchi is another fun option,\u201d says Ms. Savage, \u201cbut be prepared for the mess!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cut out images of food <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Gather old magazines and have the kids cut out images of all the farm-fresh foods they can find. \u201cThis is one of the best nutrition activities for discussing whole foods and clean eating,\u201d Ms. Doleac <\/strong>says, \u201cand why they\u2019re an important base to build our meals from.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026 to make a meal<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask the kids to use some of those items to create and prepare that evening\u2019s dinner. \u201cThese simple activities,\u201d says Ms. Savage, \u201care the perfect way to introduce healthy eating to kids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n About Tanni Haas, Ph.D.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tanni Haas, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Communication Arts, Sciences, and Disorders at The City University of New York \u2013 Brooklyn College.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Tanni Haas, Ph.D. | Contributor We\u2019ve all been there: despite our very best efforts \u2013 and cajoling \u2013 our kids simply won\u2019t eat healthy, home-cooked food. How about trying a new strategy and making healthy eating a fun activity? Here are some fun ways to inspire the kids: Dinner for breakfast Everyone knows about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3742,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[324,187,325],"ppma_author":[19],"class_list":{"0":"post-3741","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-recipes-cooking","8":"tag-dinner-ideas","9":"tag-healthy-eating","10":"tag-recipes"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/iStock-1357624949.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-14 16:55:55","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"authors":[{"term_id":19,"user_id":1,"is_guest":0,"slug":"admin_7odr8iqj","display_name":"admin","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1feee162e18d4afc874b0031f2d89eb6bdad45c74ffc261dcdf93c2cd863d4d2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com","job_title":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3741"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3741\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3743,"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3741\/revisions\/3743"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3741"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodlife247.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fppma_author&post=3741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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