Transforming Picky Eaters Through Gardening + Free Printable Garden Stake Signs
Do you have trouble getting your kids to eat healthily? If so, you are not alone. Kids are notoriously picky eaters and most would happily eat junk food for every meal if you let them. You might have tried all kinds of tricks to sneak in fruits and veggies and most of them probably didn’t help. But like a good parent, you persevere. You will never give up trying to get your kids to love foods that are good for them.
One of the best ways that I have found to work with picky eaters is gardening. Start a small garden with your kids and watch their eating habits begin to change. You can start small with an indoor herb garden and move on to a small outdoor garden. Let the kids be hands on every step of the way. Sit down together and make a list of things they would like to grow in their garden. Let them make the choices! Then print my adorable garden stake signs to make note of what you are growing. If you are using them in an outdoor garden be sure to laminate them after you write the name of the fruit or veggie you are growing. They are cute and colorful and your kids will love adding them to their garden.
Kids are more likely to eat foods that they had a hand in growing. They will feel a sense of pride knowing that the food on their plate started as just tiny seeds and they helped it become real food. That will make them more open to trying these foods. Introduce them to smoothies made from their own garden and include them when making a recipe with food they picked themselves. All of a sudden you will have kids that love tomatoes and broccoli. They will love getting in the dirt and planting new things, knowing that in the near future they will get to taste what has grown. Each day bring them into the kitchen to make a new recipe with them. Hands on learning is the best when it comes to food!
Other than getting them to eat healthier, gardening teaches kids about science, it gets them off the couch and outside in the fresh air and sunshine, moving around and learning every step of the way. While all this is happening they will be developing a love of the earth and of good, healthy foods. You will start to notice your kids making smart choices when it comes to snacking or ordering food at a restaurant. Eating healthy will become their normal routine. If you aren’t sure where to start an herb garden is great. If your kids love pizza or pasta, homegrown basil and oregano are perfect starting plants that you can incorporate into those meals. Once you feel comfortable you can move on to things like tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce and berries.
Be sure to download and print my free garden stake signs. They will look adorable in your garden and your kids will smile knowing that they are growing their own fresh foods. Do you garden with your children? Are they picky eaters? I would love to hear from you in the comments below.
Happy Gardening from our family to yours! xo