Why I created the Picky Eater Reward Chart…
My kids thought they disliked fruits and vegetables. Each child had a few favorites, but as a whole they’d squirm and grimace when something green in color was on their plate.
Years ago I made it my goal to change this in my kids. I wanted them to like a variety of healthy foods, and actually smile when they see a piece of broccoli on their plate.
At the time I was resorting to hiding fruits and veggies in other foods in an attempt to trick them into eating the good stuff. It worked, but they didn’t develop a taste for healthier foods.
One day, out of complete desperation, I developed a plan. I decided to pay my kids to try new foods. Laugh at me if you will, but sometimes crazy works.
Every day I introduced a few fruits and vegetables. If they tried the food I pay them a dime. (this was 10 years ago) Yes I am cheap, and my older kids laughed when I told them about the pay out, but it worked.
I created a list with my kids names at the top and the fruits and veggies down the left side. When they tried a food we put either a y (like it) or n (don’t like it) in the box under their name. I kept track of which foods were tried and I ended up with a running list of healthy foods my kids liked.
Some of the items on the list were foods we ate regularly but certain kids refused to try them. Others are items I never buy because I don’t like them. My husband was excited about this plan until I informed him that grown-ups don’t get paid for trying new foods.
Our first food was yellow pepper. My child who loves yellow peppers was excited to earn an easy dime. The other kids were not as enthused.
Next up, sweet potato and broccoli. The broccoli was a big thumbs up, but the sweet potato was not a winner for most of the kids.
Another day we tried strawberries and blueberries. My kids eat a lot of strawberries in smoothies, but don’t eat fresh ones very often.
The blueberries were a flop. No one liked them. At least they will eat the blueberries in smoothies. The strawberries earned a thumbs up.
Do you have a picky eater?
Encourage your child to eat healthy foods by using this reward chart. Initially I created this chart in Microsoft Word, but since then have turned it into a pretty PDF you can download, print and even hang it on your fridge.
Fill in the extra spaces with specific foods you’d like to help your child eat. It’s important to allow your child to help you think of the reward.
While I paid my kids, you can use stickers, small prizes, or even screen time as a reward for trying new things. The more your child is involved the more successful you’ll be!
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