Mealtime should be an enjoyable experience for toddlers, not a stressful battle. Research suggests that creating a playful and positive eating environment can significantly improve a child's willingness to try new foods (Van der Horst, 2016). The more interactive and engaging mealtime is, the less resistance you’ll face from your picky eater.
Why Fun Matters in Mealtimes
According to The Journal of Paediatric Psychology, play-based food exposure can reduce food neophobia (fear of new foods) in toddlers. When a child has a positive emotional association with food, they are more likely to accept and try new items without hesitation.
✔ Food presentation matters – A study found that children eat twice as many vegetables when they are served in a fun, artistic way (Cooke, 2007).
✔ Play encourages exploration – Hands-on activities like touching, smelling, and building with food help children feel more comfortable.
✔ Fun reduces mealtime stress – When toddlers associate mealtimes with joy instead of pressure, their eating habits improve.
Creative Ways to Make Mealtime Fun
Here are evidence-backed strategies to turn mealtime into an exciting adventure rather than a dreaded chore.
🍽️ 1. Use Fun Shapes
Cutting food into different shapes can make it more appealing and less intimidating.
✔ Use cookie cutters to turn sandwiches, fruits, and cheese into stars, hearts, or animals.
✔ Make smiley faces on plates with veggies and protein.
✔ Create food characters – Arrange food to resemble animals or favourite cartoon characters.
✅ Example: Instead of serving plain carrots, cut them into small flower shapes or use a crinkle cutter for added texture. Research shows that children eat more vegetables when they are shaped in fun ways (Lumeng et al., 2018).
🌈 2. Create a Colourful Plate
Bright, vibrant foods attract children’s attention and make meals look more exciting. The concept of a "Rainbow Plate" encourages kids to eat a variety of nutrients from different colours.
✔ Red – Strawberries, tomatoes, bell peppers
✔ Orange – Carrots, sweet potatoes, mangoes
✔ Yellow – Corn, bananas, squash
✔ Green – Broccoli, peas, cucumbers
✔ Blue/Purple – Blueberries, eggplant, grapes
✅ Example: Make a fruit rainbow by arranging different fruits in an arch. Pair it with a yogurt-based "cloud" dip for added nutrition.
👩🍳 3. Encourage Hands-On Eating
When kids interact with their food, they are more likely to eat it. Toddlers love being independent, so give them the opportunity to assemble their meals.
✔ Build-Your-Own Wraps & Tacos – Provide tortillas, protein, veggies, and cheese so they can create their own.
✔ DIY Pizza Night – Let kids spread sauce, sprinkle cheese, and add toppings.
✔ Smoothie Bar – Offer different ingredients and let them "design" their own smoothie.
✔ Dippable Foods – Kids love to dip! Serve hummus, yogurt, or nut butter with fruits and veggies.
✅ Example: Offer cut-up veggies with dips and call it "Dinosaur Food" (broccoli as trees, carrots as dino snacks). Making food sound exciting increases its appeal!
📖 4. Turn Eating Into a Story or Game
Storytelling and imaginative play make food more interesting.
✔ "Superhero Foods" – Explain that carrots help with superhero vision, spinach makes kids strong like Popeye, and blueberries are "brain power" fuel.
✔ "Treasure Hunt" – Hide a surprise food under a plate of veggies. If they finish their meal, they find the surprise!
✔ "The Taste Test Challenge" – Blindfold your child and have them guess different foods by texture or
✔ Use Fun Names – Research shows that kids eat 65% more vegetables when given creative names like "X-Ray Vision Carrots" (Wansink et al., 2012).
🍉 5. Try Food Art & Bento-Style Meals
Bento boxes allow for small portions of a variety of foods, which reduces mealtime stress and makes meals visually appealing.
✔ Use dividers to separate different food items, making it less overwhelming.
✔ Decorate plates with cute food picks, silicone cups, or tiny animal skewers.
✔ Make food art – Arrange food into a fun scene or character (e.g., a "fruit butterfly" with orange slices for wings and a banana for the body).
✅ Example: Use rice, seaweed, and veggies to make "panda bear rice balls" or cut sandwiches into "bear paws".
Final Thoughts on Fun Mealtimes
Research consistently shows that when food is fun, kids eat more, stress less, and explore more foods.
✨ Key Takeaways:
✔ Kids are more likely to try new foods when they are visually appealing.
✔ Play-based approaches reduce mealtime battles.
✔ Offering interactive, colourful, and themed meals improves a child’s food acceptance over time.
About the Author
Kristy Petersen is a passionate nutritionist specialising in gut health and children’s nutrition. With years of experience, she is dedicated to helping families achieve optimal health through balanced dietary practices.
Learn more about Kristy here
