Mealtime Flash Cards
Have you ever fallen into this trick while trying to get your kid to eat healthy?
You say this tomato is a “good” food and that cookie to a “bad” food.
Or this food is healthy and that food has too much sugar.
Did it persuade your kid to eat healthy?
Probably not!
See the thing is when we put labels on food or make meals a pass or fail for our kids- they want to eat healthy even less. Or they don’t want to try the vegetables at all.
What if they let you down by not liking it? Or maybe your kid would like a little freedom just to eat what has been served without hard-to-understand labels. This often actually encourages our kids to eat the “bad” stuff because they have become a forbidden fruit.
A simple solution to get your kid to eat healthy?
A simple solution to get your kid to eat healthy is to speak about what food does for their bodies.
Very few young kids have an internal drive to be “healthy”
What would motivate your kid to eat healthy?
- Being able to see in the dark
- Heal super quickly from cuts
- Or have really shiny hair
We, as the parents know that fruit and vegetables can do this for them. But by the time we sit down for dinner at night, who has the energy to start remembering each property of food? Never mind explain it in a way that piques your kids interest.
Enter…. Eat Healthy Kids Cards
Simple cards to have handy at dinner time that explain to your kid exactly what each fruit and vegetable do for his body. In kid language.
- No more scratching your head trying to think of the health properties of a pineapple.
- Say goodbye to labeling food as “bad or “healthy”
- And say hello to your kid being SELF-motivated to eat healthy.
Each card comes with a drawing of the fruit or vegetable and one short sentence on what this actually does for the body.
There are 29 hand-painted fruit and vegetable cards. Each contains an explanation of the health benefits of each food. In kid language.
5 Easy Activities Using Eat Healthy Kids Cards
- Keep them by the dinner table and let your kid pick out what fruit or vegetable is in their meal. Then read the card so that they can learn what the fruit or vegetable does for their body.
- Match with real foods
- Sort according to
- color
- fruit or vegetable
- what grows in a tree vs. the ground
- size
- Challenge your kid to remember what their favorite fruit or veg does for their bodies.
- Let them pick a card brainstorm a meal using that card and cook it together.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I get when I buy this?
You’ll get a PDF printable of 29 hand-painted fruit and vegetable cards. Each contains an explanation of the health benefits of each food. In kid language.
What ages are these for?
These cards can be used with kids aged 2 and up. Your 2-year-old may not fully understand each explanation but they will recognize the fruit and vegetables in the pictures and it will create an opportunity to engage in discussion with your toddler about what they are eating. Teaching our kids from a young age that food is connected to the way our bodies feel is critical in training healthy eating.
From around age 3, most kids will understand these descriptions of what each food does for the body.
These cards are also great for older kids and pre-tweens because it teaches them a fact that they can remember.
Will this make my kid eat healthy?
These cards are designed to encourage healthy choices by educating and engaging kids around fruits and vegetables. But the truth is that they cannot CHOOSE to eat these types of foods if they are not being SERVED.
If your child has real reasons for picky eating (like sensory or oral motor) these cards should be used as a supporting tool for feeding therapy.
How do I use these cards?
Keep them by the dinner table and let your kid pick out what fruit or vegetable is in their meal. Then read the card so that they can learn what the fruit or vegetable does for their body.
You can also see the above activity ideas using the cards.
