Teaching Kids to Play with Their Food 

Ever heard the saying, “you eat with your eyes first”? I think that saying rings most true for small children. The simplest things like which direction the sandwich is cut or the color of the plate the food is on, can make or break meal time.

The saying is true for adults too. We want things that taste good to look good and we are drawn to fun presentations of food. Football parties with football-shaped cheese spread, fruit salad in a watermelon basket, cupcake towers, I mean seriously, Pinterest is exploding with food presentation ideas!

My husband and I have received numerous compliments on how well our kids eat. Sometimes they say we are lucky, and we are lucky, but that’s not why our kids eat well. It has taken a lot of effort, time and playing on our part to help them learn to try and enjoy their food. On many occasions, we had to convince them to try the same food like 6 times, despite the fact they liked it the first time. And there are still battles from time to time (see “Rat Patootie” – colored zucchini). Overall, both of our kids are good eaters and we continue to work with them keep them eating well.

That’s where “flower plates” come in. The first time I made my daughter a flower plate, we had battled over nap time. I knew she needed a nap and I was tired from being up with her baby brother all night. The process of going to sleep was not relaxing. So once she finally did go to sleep, I got to work designing her a flower plate. She adored it and asked for a flower plate every day for lunch for about a week after that.

Flower plates are fun for me to put together. I really enjoy picking out foods for their color to arrange on the plate. It is easy enough to put together a balanced meal and it doesn’t really take a lot of time – nothing needs to be cooked. And honestly, there is nothing better than watching my daughter get excited about something I made for her!