Making vegetables exciting for kids – Mums Helpline

It’s a fact that commanding our children to “finish their vegetables” is very ineffective. Most kids are sweet-toothed anyway and how many would drop ice cream for beetroot? Furthermore, forcing vegetables on them will only make their resistance stronger hence the need to be creative. Here are a few tricks to apply.

Group projects

Getting them involved in the preparation will make them more excited about trying the vegetables out. Ask them to help you pick the best looking spinach, for example, and while you’re preparing them, give them light tasks like helping with the cleaning. If you have enough space, you can start a small kitchen garden and have them help you with the gardening.

Compliments will take you everywhere

Compliments such as, “You look so strong today! It must be the vegetables,” will make them have a positive view of vegetables. Healthy may be a complicated word but kids definitely understand strong, beautiful, or like a princess or prince. Throw in a compliment and relate it to the vegetables they ate and watch the demand for vegetables rise.

Disguised veggies

Instead of serving vegetables the traditional way, you can try to switch things up a bit. Include vegetables subtly in recipes kids like. For example, instead of regular dipping sauce for chips, make them a broccoli dip. Smoothies are also an easy sell. But don’t just drop all your green leafy vegetables in the blender and hope that they’ll magically like them. Try out different recipes; even try changing the colour once in a while.

Vamp up the veggie taste

One of the reasons why kids hate vegetables is because of their plain taste. This should be a quick fix, as you know what they like, just compliment the veggies with tastes they enjoy, for example, honey.