How many games do we play in order to get our kids to eat a decent meal? From empty threats to fancy presentations, I think I’ve tried it all. I have a negotiator who starts every meal by declaring how many peas she will eat, what portion of the chicken breast she will consume, and how much ice cream she will get in return. I have a sensitive artist who takes great delight in the presentation of the meal, and tries foods based on the appearance on her plate. For her, I arrange pasta in a semi-circle around the edge of the plate, add 3 meatballs for eyes and nose, and gently place peas across the bottom to look like a smile. Last, I have a picky eater who shrieks at the threat of being seated at the table for hours until the plate is clear. It never worked when I was a kid, and yet there I am telling my son that he can sit there until his peas are gone.
I was recently given a game called The Food Game that takes a new approach to an old problem. The game consists of placemats with color-coded squares that correspond to a type of food. Each person spins a spinner and moves his piece along his placement. If he lands on a green space, for example, each person at the table must eat a vegetable from his or her plate. Other colors translate to a protein or a starch.
Although I thought my 9 year old would consider herself too old or too cool for this game, I quickly realized that her hyper-competitive nature turned her into a policewoman who would evaluate whether others followed the rules and ate what they were supposed to eat. My other daughter treats it like an X game – Extreme Eating, the crazier the meal, the better. It was an instant hit with my 4 year old who likes to follow the rules that came with the game (as long as he wins - otherwise rules are added at the last minute to change the outcome). We read through the rules together the first time we played and we made a few changes such as dice instead of the spinner and a prize for the winner.
I started playing this game with meals I knew they would like, and I have gradually introduced new foods. We laugh throughout the game at the faces and methods used to down an unfamiliar vegetable or brown rice. With one hand placing a green bean in her mouth while the other hand is plugging her nose, my daughter grimaces and quickly chugs a shot of milk. I sometimes feel like I am preparing my children for a future on a reality TV show where they will be forced to eat gross things, because they often compare vegetables to earthworms, compost, or mud (I should note that I do wash my vegetables before I cook them). Sigh. Maybe they’ll just end up with an appreciation for broccoli…
If you think you’ve tried everything to get a healthy meal in your child’s belly, give this simple and fun Food Game a try. I would also recommend this game as a gift for a parent of young kids.
You can find out more about The Food Game on www.kidwinks.com.
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