If you’ve ever watched your child turn their nose up at a plate of veggies, you’re not alone. Helping kids eat a variety of foods (especially produce) can feel like an uphill battle! However, with a few playful strategies, you can encourage your children to become more open to different foods—without turning mealtimes into a power struggle.
Here are three simple ways to get started:
1. Play “Eye Spy” with Colors at the Grocery Store
Kids love a game, and grocery shopping can be the perfect place to start introducing new foods. Instead of rushing through the produce section, slow down and play a quick round of “Eye Spy.”
Ask your child to find as many different colors as they can—red apples, green cucumbers, yellow peppers, and purple grapes. Point out the variety and let them place some of these colorful foods in the cart. Even if they aren’t ready to eat every food yet, simply noticing the colors makes food less intimidating and more fun.
By shifting their focus from “Do I like this?” to “Look at that color!” you help reduce the pressure and keep things playful.
2. Focus on Exposure, Not Pressure
One of the best ways to help kids eat a wider variety is to simply put new foods on their plate without any expectations. Exposure matters more than immediate success. A tip I always love to remind parents of comes from a very old but wonderful book called Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family, by Ellen Satter: “Parents decide the ‘what, when, and where’ of feeding, while children decide ‘how much’ and ‘whether’ they eat.”
When kids see the same food over and over again, it starts to feel familiar. They might not eat it the first, second, or even the tenth time it shows up, but research shows that over time, repeated exposure lowers their resistance to trying something new.
The key is to keep it pressure-free. Instead of saying, “You have to try this,” just put it there. A small scoop of broccoli or a slice of avocado on their plate is enough. Sometimes they’ll ignore it, sometimes they’ll touch it or lick it, and sometimes they’ll surprise you by eating the whole thing. Every interaction counts!
3. Try a Rainbow Race
One of the most effective ways to spark curiosity about food is to make it into a game. Here’s how it works: kids track the colors of the foods they eat, aiming to complete their “rainbow.” You can make it into a race—who can find the most colors in a week? Or you can set a family goal to fill in all the colors together.
This game is included in this month’s digital printable lesson, “Eat the Rainbow: Learning How to Enjoy Lots of Different Colorful Foods.” You’ll find a grid with blank spaces for each color reaching toward the clouds, which is perfect since kids love having a visual to see their progress! This approach is also great for parents since it encourages balance and variety without nagging or bribes. 
Eat the Rainbow Printable Lesson
If you are looking for a fun and engaging way to help your child be open to trying new fruits and vegetables, this printable “Eat the Rainbow: Learning How to Enjoy Lots of Different Colorful Foods” will pull your kids right in!
Families will learn together:
- That each color of food has a power
- How fun it can be to eat a variety of colors!
- How to search for different colors to put on your plate each day
- Soooo many fun ideas for how to incorporate colors into everyday eating
Get it today for only $6! Get ready to pique your child’s curiosity about all the amazing food that is available to them.
If you would like more resources about food and eating, you might like these resources: