Want to help children eat better? Enjoy eating together.

Are you challenged with helping children eat better?

If you know me, you know I am a strong advocate for enjoying eating together.

In this blog series, I am sharing the key principles from materials I created with a Team Nutrition grant that was titled RECIPE for Growing Healthy Children. Now that these materials are no longer in print, this series makes this valuable content available again.

In the first post, we covered R, which stands for Role Model what we want children to be, say, and do.

In the second post, we covered the first E, which stands for a mealtime Environment that encourages children to practice healthy behaviors.

In the third post, we covered C, which stands for Create delicious and nutritious meals and snacks.

In the fourth post, we covered I, which stands for Involve children in food and fun.

In the fifth post, we covered P, which stands for Partner with parents.

In this sixth and final post, we will cover the second E, which stands for Enjoy eating together.

As stated in the participant workbooks:

Eating together is more than just supervising eating.  Eating together builds relationships and helps children develop a sense of belonging.  Eating together provides an opportunity to practice conversation skills and learn manners.  Children who eat with loving adults who are positive role models learn better eating habits and build positive attitudes about food and nutrition.

What follows shares key content from the Enjoy section of the training manual used in the workshops for childcare personnel.

As a warm-up activity during the final segment of the workshop, participants reflected on how much they enjoyed spending time together at their tables, sharing food and having engaging discussions. They discussed whether it provided a sense of belonging and whether it was a positive experience.

This was followed by “a snack and a movie” – a video looking at the importance of adults and children eating together, which answered this question…

How does eating together provide every ingredient in RECIPE?

R…Eating together provides the ideal setting for adults to role model positive eating habits.

E…In the family-style meal environment, children can master skills in serving food and eating.

C…By coming together for meals, we can enjoy and share the delicious and nutritious foods we created.

I… At family-style meals, children can be actively involved in food and fun. 

P…Encourage parents to have family meals at home because coming together for meals provides so many benefits. 

E…Reflect on what it means to enjoy eating together, reflecting on the benefits of family meals at home and family-style meals at childcare. Consider the importance of pleasant conversations, the satisfaction of personal accomplishment, and the pleasure of enjoying good food.

How did workshop participants summarize their learning and goals?

They used the following “conversation starters” to discuss what they learned and how they intended to use it to meet their goals. At tables, everyone responded to at least one question about each letter in RECIPE. Use these questions to reflect on each post in this series, linked above.

R – Role Model

• What helped you realize that the examples of important adults can make the biggest difference in what children think, say, and do?

• What is something you plan to do to be a positive role model?

E – Environment

• What is one aspect of the eating environment that allows children the opportunity to build independence and skills?  … to self-regulate how much they eat?  … to build a sense of community and belonging?

• Are there any changes you plan to make to the environment (including how meals are served) in your childcare program?

C – Create

• What are some practical menu or recipe changes that create healthier meals that are cost-effective, kid-friendly, and won’t require more staff?

• Which ones would you like to try?

  
  

I – Involve

• How can children be actively involved at meals and snacks?

• How can you successfully introduce new foods?

• What is one new idea you would like to try for involving children in food and fun, either at mealtime or in the classroom?

P – Partner

• What are several effective approaches to communicate with parents?

• What is a new idea for reaching parents in your program that you intend to try?

E – Enjoy

• What are some of the benefits of eating together?

• What are some ways you can encourage the families you serve to eat together as a family?

• What are some ideas for making your mealtimes more enjoyable?

Check out these free resources for promoting eating together.

“There is something profoundly satisfying about sharing a meal. Eating together, breaking bread together, is one of the oldest and most fundamentally unifying of human experiences.”

~ Barbara Coloroso

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