As much as my kids are pretty good eaters who enjoy a good variety of healthy choices I always appreciate positive reinforcement for healthy eating choices. Especially with my 3 year old who would be just as happy eating junk food as veggies.
If you are a fellow parent of a young child who needs all the outside encouragement you can get to help them make healthy eating choices I recommend checking out this fun book, Dinner for Dinos: Gulp, Guzzle, Chomp, Chew, from Tommy Nelson.
My 3 year old son was completely enthralled by the rhyming storyline that followed a group of dinosaur friends as they prepared for a picnic dinner. They shop, discuss eating good food, cook, set the table, give thanks, eat, and display even good manners! The book is just silly enough to engage young readers and the colorful illustrations work in tandem to promote the overall message of the book.
Here is a sample text from one of the pages ::
“My mom said those who eat good foods
Will grow up big and strong
I’m eating all the greens I can
To make my tail grow long!”
The book is of sturdy construction that makes it perfect for those almost-readers in the 3-8 years age group who are not always the most gentle kids with the books and toys they love.
A SIMPLE GIVEAWAY
FOUR (4) SIMPLE readers will win a copy of Dinner for Dinos: Gulp, Guzzle, Chomp, Chew. Enter to win below via rafflecopter. One entrant per household.
Milt
July 5, 2018 at 7:23 amWe have fun with our grandchildren by holding scavenger-hunt challenges in our backyard or home to find hidden fun items, as a healthy activity for them to do, and to help them get more exercise.
Rob
July 5, 2018 at 7:12 amWe make a game of reading food labels with our grandchildren to help them learn what foods are good to eat, and how to limit eating too many sugary items, plus, to give them a better understanding of good eating habits.
Fiona N
July 4, 2018 at 11:16 pmI encourage healthy food choices for my son by decorating them
kelly woods
July 4, 2018 at 10:37 pmThank you for sharing!
Donna L
July 4, 2018 at 8:15 pmBy setting an example by eating healthy.
Katherine S
July 4, 2018 at 8:15 pmI have been trying to have my 5 year old help with dinner
Renee Rousseau
July 4, 2018 at 5:42 pmI involve them in the grocery shopping list, they write it down for me and check off each item at the store. This helps them to learn about healthy choices.
Janet Boyanton
July 4, 2018 at 3:22 pmI encourage good eating habits by modeling good eating habits.
cyndi br
July 4, 2018 at 2:53 pmI let them pick out the vegetables they want to eat.
Tammy iler
July 4, 2018 at 2:33 pmSprucing up the veggies a little bit
Amber Cheras
July 4, 2018 at 2:22 pmLeave a bowl of fruit out at all times so they have a healthy snack. Avoid buying junk food out of sight out of mind.
sam
July 4, 2018 at 2:11 pmMy son is a picky eater but I like to show him youtube channels that encourage eating and trying diff foods. I also pick someone he likes like a family member and have them show him how good the food is. It works most of the time.
Yvette
July 4, 2018 at 1:36 pmNot having snacks and sweets readily available. They know treats are only on certain days and as a way to celebrate events! No soda in the house!
angie w
July 4, 2018 at 9:50 amI like to try to lead by example.
LeAnn Harbert
July 4, 2018 at 9:29 amWhen they were young I fed them healthy foods so that’s what they were used to.
Anne Perry
July 4, 2018 at 8:21 amWe look for the organic & non gmo food labels. We grow our own.
Helen
July 4, 2018 at 1:03 amI try to set a good example. If I ear healthy foods then my kids will see me and copy my behavior. It is great for the entire family.
Leela
July 3, 2018 at 11:58 pmI lead by example. They usually eat what i’m eating.
Amanda Whitley
July 3, 2018 at 11:56 pmi am lucky my kids like healthy choices already but i like to make them into fun shapes or hide healthy foods in foods they like.
Chris
July 3, 2018 at 10:19 pmI try to make healthy choices for my kids to see as an example of how to eat. Best way to teach them is to show them!
Kayla klontz
July 3, 2018 at 10:04 pmWe tell the kids healthy food helps them grow, I like to tell them what they get from each vegetable, fruit, meat, etc so they gain knowledge about it and it helps both of my kids a lot. My son used to tell carrots until we explained to them they helped with his vision and now he eats them frequently!
Dana Matthews
July 3, 2018 at 9:39 pmI let my girls help me shop for healthy options. We talk about what we choose, what’s beneficial from eating it, how to cook it, etc. Then I allow them to help cook. They seem to eat better if they helped prepare it!
ken ohl
July 3, 2018 at 1:17 pmI’m lucky my little one loves healthy foods
Pamela
July 2, 2018 at 5:59 pmHelping to prepare and serve healthy food is always encouraging for little ones. Ours love to help with food prep, and they always like to eat what they help prepare.
Danalee
July 2, 2018 at 10:21 amI just offer them all the colors of the rainbow, and make it a fun idea to eat as many colors as they can.
Brandi Swanson
July 2, 2018 at 6:44 amI wash and precut all fruit and veggies so its just as convenient to grab for a snack as prepackaged stuff. My kids tend to choose those options more when its convenient!
Chelsey L
July 2, 2018 at 5:20 amI try to set an example by eating healthy choices so my daughter does too.
Marilyn Nawara
July 1, 2018 at 7:15 pmEating healthy is a way of life for my boys — they are good healthy eaters.
Sara Perrera
July 1, 2018 at 6:23 pmI think having them cook with you makes new foods less scary and they are much more open to trying new and healthy foods.
Kelley H
July 1, 2018 at 1:38 pmThere really is no trick. My kids eat what I eat. Since I don’t incorporate a lot of sugars, they tend to make more healthy choices when it comes to snacks and treats.
Amanda Hoffman
July 1, 2018 at 12:23 pmMy tip would be eat what you want your kids to eat. Make it look like you enjoy it even if you dont and dont talk bad about certain foods.
Azeem Isaahaque
July 1, 2018 at 1:23 amI encourage kids to eat healthy by setting the food in a delightful way on the plate
Katrina Brockavich
June 30, 2018 at 9:23 pmMy older kids are old enough that they can read the labels on food, so that’s one thing I’ve taught them. They can understand how much fat and sugar and calories is in the food they choose. We also encourage trying different and new fruits and vegetables, because some day you might find one you really like! (My boys are not big vegetable eaters.)
Allie
June 30, 2018 at 12:32 amI try to give them healthy options to pick from
YVONNE WOODSTOCK
June 30, 2018 at 12:26 amHe is given several healthy choices for snacks and allowed to choose which of them HE wants. Also role modeling US enjoying delicious but healthy snacks is a big one and I like to cut and shape healthy foods into cute FUN shapes like boats, trees, caterpillars, ladybugs so they look fun to eat. Also putting things like fruits and veggies into smoothies and homemade popsicles etc.
Jennifer Cervantes
June 29, 2018 at 10:36 amI encourage kids to eat healthy food by having it available and start them at a young age eating them.
hannah
June 28, 2018 at 11:09 pmI will encourage healthy eating by demonstrating it for my son.
Ruth S.
June 28, 2018 at 9:31 amGive them healthy options to choose from!
beth
June 28, 2018 at 9:19 amWe model healthy choices and ensure that the kids see us eating well.
Terri S.
June 26, 2018 at 11:11 pmI encourage my granddaughter to make healthy food choices by letting her help me make our shopping list, going with me to the supermarket and then preparing meals together.
Jessica To
June 24, 2018 at 9:34 amI use my son’s cousins as a resource to get my son to eat healthier. If he sees them trying something new and healthy, he will do it.
Margaret S Porter
June 22, 2018 at 7:02 pmWe sneak veggies into their sauces and soups so they never taste it. We make games out of eating veggies. If they eat more than I do we get an extra 30 mins outside
Merry
June 22, 2018 at 3:07 pmI think they learn by example. We have tried try one bite and making sure to get lots of outdoor time too. We are thinking of container gardening.
Patricia
June 22, 2018 at 10:19 amLeading by example works for me. If I eat my veggies my kids will too. I also have them help me make dinner. They take pride in what they make and are more accepting to try new things.
Heather B
June 21, 2018 at 10:08 pmI like to encourage my kids to help with meal prep and making choices.
Jennifer Carroll
June 21, 2018 at 10:05 pmI only offer healthy options.
Heather!
June 21, 2018 at 3:26 pmI don’t really use anything to encourage healthy food choices aside from raising kids to enjoy good food. We didn’t really offer too many ‘bad’ choices for our kids, so they pretty much had to learn to love veggies and fruits, whether as snacks or part of a meal. We try to do the same for our granddaughter now.
PattiAnn Green
June 21, 2018 at 12:10 pmMy advice would be to #1 start them young. Feed your child healthy food on a regular basis and save the treats for special occasions. #2 Lead by example. You can’t tell them they can’t have a brownie because it isn’t good for them while your eating a brownie.
Dana Rodriguez
June 21, 2018 at 11:22 amThis looks like a great book. I had to try everything as a child and I guess that is why now I will eat pretty much anything..almost.