Kids Who Play With Food Eat More Veggies

How many times do you tell your kids not to play with their food? We’ve been taught to think that playing with food is a bad thing and that it can detract little ones from actually eating a full meal. However, it now seems that playing with food is a great way to get your children to actually clear their plates.

Researchers have revealed that kids who are allowed to play with the food on their plate, especially fruit and vegetables, are more likely to eat their meal. When children were allowed to touch, squash and mess around with foods like bananas and tomatoes, there was a greater chance that they would actually eat them, reports the Daily Mail.

Published in the journal ‘Appetite’, the research could mean that letting your kids play with the food on their plate might encourage them to try different foods and help avoid fussy eaters. According to the researchers, not pressuring children and just letting them explore the food in different ways can encourage a better relationship with it.

The study looked at 62 children aged between three and four who all attended nurseries in Northampton. Before the experiment, parents had to record how many fruit and vegetables their little ones usually ate to see if this changed.

Researchers then split the children into three groups. One was given bowls of fruit and vegetables and were asked to recreate pictures from The Very Hungry Caterpillar, even if this meant squashing them. The second group was given craft items to play with, including pompoms, glitter and pipe cleaners, while the third group played a similar game to the first but the researchers handled the fruit and vegetables.

Straight after the play session, children were asked if they wanted to try any of the food, with the children who handled the fruit and veggies trying significantly more than the other two groups.

The researchers said: ‘One explanation is they had time to familiarise themselves and interact with the foods. This would suggest exposure does not have to be based on taste alone.

‘We found the largest benefits were with foods that are less familiar, such as pomegranate and kiwi. During play, there was no mention of tasting the food.

‘The goal was to engage with it and create something from it. It may be these types of activities increase the likelihood of tasting by children.’

This means that letting your children interact with food in different ways and giving them different healthy items to explore could help to encourage them to eat more foods. Not only will this help them maintain a healthy diet, it could stop you getting a headache due to a fussy eater – a win-win in our book!