LANA:
Learning About Nutrition Through Activities
Tips for Positive Mealtime Interactions
Encourage through words:
- Encourage children to taste a variety of foods
- Praise and reinforce children for trying and tasting f/v
- Understand consequences of bribing, forcing or rewarding children
- Rewards can backfire – devalue vegetable and increase value of the reward
- Nagging or cajoling can increase resistance to new or desired food
- Identify and emphasize fruit and vegetable choices at meals
Encourage through behavior:
- Model positive eating habits (eating f/v)
- Actions speak louder than words – children are aware of what adults do and say
- A positive role model can help a child overcome their hesitation to try foods
- Eat meals and snacks with children
- Serve/offer age appropriate portions to children
- Understand “normal” childhood eating behaviors
- Expect food waste
- Irregular eating habits
- Expect spills and a mess
- There will be squirming
- Involve children in meal preparation (age appropriate tasks)
Encourage through the environment:
- Offer f/v every day at breakfast, lunch and snack
- Substitute or reduce availability of foods that compete with f/v
- Offer repeated opportunities for children to try new f/v
- Create a calm and supportive meal time environment
- Reduce distractions during meals
- No T.V. or videos during meals
- No distracting loud/active music
- Create regular, structured mealtime routines
- Promote positive conversation at meals
- Encourage and allow children to eat at their own pace
- Promote good table manners
- Encourage children to serve themselves and regulate their own food intake
| Division of Responsibility for Feeding Children | ||
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About LANA
We have been having fun and learning with LANA." said Patti Paul from Sioux Trail Ready to Learn..." Read more
- "I am very glad to have the LANA curriculum to use with the children in my care. We have made some exciting changes with the foods we eat and what we are willing to try (and try again!)"
--Amy Eid
family child care
Becker, MN
- For questions, please contact us at: health.healthyeating
@state.mn.us
