Making Mealtime Fun and Engaging for Kids: Tips from a Nanny

Mealtime doesn’t have to be a source of stress for kids or caregivers. With a few simple strategies, you can create a calm, engaging, and enjoyable atmosphere that will help children look forward to their meals. Here are two of my favorite approaches that have worked wonders with the children I care for:

1. Reading During Meals: Creating Calm and Connection

Incorporating reading into mealtime is a wonderful way to engage children and ease the stress that sometimes accompanies eating. Dr. Becky Kennedy, a parenting expert I admire, often says, "Children learn best when they feel calm and safe, and mealtime can be a great opportunity for connection." By reading to children during mealtime, we create a sense of calm and connection, turning what could be a stressful time into a bonding moment.

For the past three years, I've been caring for a little boy, and one of our favorite routines is visiting the Aspen Pitkin Public Library whenever he’s in town. We pick out several books, and then we read them together over dinner. By the time we’re through, we’ve usually read about six books! It's a simple yet calming way to make mealtime enjoyable.

If you’re a caregiver or parent looking to make mealtime more peaceful and engaging, I hope this tip helps. It’s a small change, but it can make a big difference in how kids approach eating.

2. Playful Food Interaction: Turning Mealtime into an Adventure

Another great approach is turning mealtime into a playful, interactive experience. Children are naturally curious, and by making food more engaging, you can spark their excitement about eating. For example, when I was caring for a 3-year-old boy, he loved pretending to be Godzilla, so I’d arrange blueberries on a plate to look like little soldiers. He’d eagerly eat my "soldier-berries!" Creating a fun narrative around food not only makes it more appealing but also encourages kids to try new things without feeling pressured.

Introducing new foods can be tricky, especially when children feel overwhelmed by unfamiliar textures, smells, and appearances. Jennifer Anderson, founder of Kids Eat in Color, explains that "offering a variety of single-ingredient foods in small portions and avoiding highly processed foods" can help children become more open to new tastes and textures. She also highlights the value of sensory play in reducing food anxiety. Allowing kids to explore food through touch, smell, and sight in a non-threatening way can help ease their anxiety and increase their willingness to try new things. When children feel in control of their food experience, they’re more likely to approach new foods with curiosity rather than fear. And when they see you enjoying the food, they’re more likely to follow suit. Modeling positive food behaviors plays a huge role in encouraging them to try new things.

Why These Strategies Work: Research and Personal Experience

Research shows that repeated exposure to new foods, in a non-pressuring environment, increases the likelihood that children will eventually accept them. Engaging kids in meal planning and preparation also sparks their interest in food.

I remember working with a 7-year-old girl, and we had a blast cooking dinner together using the Radish Kids program. Radish is a monthly cooking kit subscription designed for kids, which makes cooking fun and educational. Each kit includes themed recipes, shopping lists, and activities that engage children in the kitchen. We’d go to the grocery store, pick out ingredients from the Radish shopping list, put on aprons, and read the recipe aloud as we prepared the meal. One of our favorite meals was a hearty meat stew, which eventually became a family staple. By making the process fun and interactive through Radish, she became more excited to try new foods and took ownership of the experience.

By combining strategies like reading during meals and turning food into a fun activity, caregivers can create an environment that encourages kids to try new things and build healthy eating habits. It’s all about making mealtime an enjoyable, stress-free experience.

I hope these tips inspire you, whether you’re a caregiver or a parent. With patience, creativity, and a little playfulness, mealtime can become a time of connection, learning, and fun!