Play With Your Food: 4 Cute Ideas Your Kids Will Love

Even if your child is the best eater in the world, I guarantee he or she will go through a phase (maybe a few weeks from now, maybe a year from now) where he or she will not want to eat the healthy foods you put in front of him or her.

For my toddler and me, that day is now and has been for quite some time, which means I need to get creative when I serve him fruits and vegetables. Now, I am certainly not a food stylist or Laleh Mohmedi of Jacob’s Food Diaries, but here are a few of the ideas that have worked in our house.

Little Girl (or Boy)

Angel hair pasta is the star of this design. Top it off with a bow made from orange bell pepper. Her face is made up of blueberries for the eyes, black olives for the eyelids, a sliced mushroom for the nose, and a red bell pepper for the mouth.

Under the Sea

My son is particularly fond of anything under the water, so he gobbles this scene up. The fish are made from bell peppers complete with olive eyes. The “kelp” and “seaweed” is made from cucumbers. The jellyfish are mushrooms, and don’t forget the bubbles, which are blueberries.

The Hungry Caterpillar

My kids love the book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” so why not make snack time and story time coincide? This caterpillar is made using sliced cucumbers, a cherry tomato, and raisins for the feet and eyes.

Veggie Flower

This “flower” is super simple to make. Just slice bell peppers and arrange them in a circle. I used spinach dip as the center but you could also use hummus, ranch dressing or any other dipping sauce your child calls his favorite.

How do you make food fun? —Jenn A.