This article shares fun Valentine’s Day food activities to help your picky eater get on track to trying new foods while celebrating the holiday.
Valentine’s Day is such a fun holiday to celebrate with kids.
If you’ve been with me for a while you probably know where this is going…fun Valentine’s Day hands-on food activities for picky eaters!
Children of all ages learn by touching, seeing, smelling, and interacting with new foods. The more your child engages with and gets to know a new food, the more likely they are to eventually taste it.
Getting hands on with food is extremely effective. But it may still take time. Be okay if your child doesn’t taste it on the first (or 20th try). Don’t give up on the strategy. Try to have fun and trust that your child can and will learn to enjoy food.
3 Reasons Valentine’s Day Food Activities Can Help Picky Eating
They’re novel and fun
Sometimes fun and novelty can make all the difference, especially in those challenging moments when everything else is “right” and your child isn’t eating.
They add variety
Bringing in variety is so important for boosting your child’s flexibility with food. Valentine’s Day is a wonderful opportunity to serve a favorite in a new way – think heart-shaped sandwiches or fruits and pink pancakes or yogurt.
They Increase exposure
Research shows that positive food interactions and repeated exposures to new foods increases both a child’s willingness to eat and the likelihood that they enjoy a new food. Additionally, getting hands-on with food provides low-pressure fun sensory experiences that prime your child’s system to eventually eat new foods.
How to Successfully Do Fun Food Activities With Your Picky Eater
Adapt the Valentine’s Day food activities as you need so your child can comfortably participate and enjoy.
You can invite your child to explore and sample the foods you create. Remember that these strategies will be less effective if your child senses pressure. If you want them to engage more (or eat more), pressure them less! The decision to interact with and eventually taste food must come from your child.
8 Valentine’s Day Food Activities To Do With Your Picky Eater
Adapt the Valentine’s Day food activities as you need so your child can comfortably participate and enjoy.
You can invite your child to explore and sample the foods you create. Remember that these strategies will be less effective if your child senses pressure. If you want them to engage more (or eat more), pressure them less! The decision to interact with and eventually taste food must come from your child.
These two activities are inspired by one of the families in the Eating with Ease Program. The child loves apples, but only eats one specific variety, so her mom is working on introducing her to different varieties.
These fun and tasty apple activities can help apple lovers and apple newbies learn to enjoy apples.
We love that these are customizable, easy to make, and use a variety of tasty dips and toppings that can make eating easier.
Quesadillas are a favorite in my house and another common focus for parents in the Eating with Ease Program.
Making heart-shaped foods is such a sweet nod to Valentine’s Day and is a fun way to both encourage eating through novelty or bring in variety for kids already eating quesadillas. Bonus if your child can help make the quesadilla or form the heart shape.
Working on branching out from quesadillas? Try different cheeses or add-ins like small amounts of shredded chicken.
Kababs and dips are so fun and a really exciting way to get your toddler involved and interested in eating.
Have you ever tried chocolate hummus? That would be a fun side and extra activity to accompany this recipe. Try homemade or buy it at your local grocery store.
Get your food cutters and some of your child’s favorite foods (along with some new ones, too).
A creative snack board like this is fun to offer before a meal when your child has the option to taste without the pressure that can come during mealtimes.
Add heart toothpicks for extra fun.
This Valentine’s Day snack mix is a creative way to pair a familiar food with new ones.
Customize to your child’s liking and interest. Let them run with it.
Looking to add festive color? I love freeze-dried strawberries for picky eaters (especially crunch-lovers).
For a more cooking-heavy activity, try these festive snack cakes – a great and nutritious opportunity to get your child hands-on in the kitchen.
Pink drinks are a Valentine’s Day must and smoothies are great options for kids who love yogurt and fruit pouches. Your young child can throw fruit into the blender and older kids can do this whole recipe on their own.
Add a crazy straw for extra fun and novelty that can inspire eating.
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