How to Get Your Kids to Eat Their Vegetables

Over the years, many parents have struggled with the dilemma of how to get children to eat their vegetables. Some try disguises, such as smothering broccoli with melted cheese or sugar-coated carrots. Some parents threaten children with no play time if they don’t eat their vegetables, while others make their children sit at the table until their plates are cleaned.

One man that I know told me about growing up during the depression years. He recalled having field peas for supper. At one of the meals, he rebelled against eating peas and pushed his bowl of peas to the side and announced that he wasn’t eating peas anymore. His father just looked at him and said, “That’s alright son, you’ll eat them tomorrow.”

After years of growing vegetables, experience has taught me that the best way to get children to eat their vegetables is to have them directly involved with them. When children are involved with gardening, they experience planting seeds and watching them come up, and are involved with the garden at all stages of development. When they have planted carrots, radishes, peas, potatoes and beans, they develop a pride with the garden that they have contributed to, and in most cases they can’t wait to pull up their first carrot or radish and eat it.

When children know where their vegetables come from and are involved with the process of producing them, they tend to develop a pride and appreciation for nature’s bounty, which is a great first step towards getting them to eat their vegetables. This Summer and in the years to come, consider getting your children involved with their own small garden or helping with the family garden. The rewards for the entire family can be boundless.

– John Coykendall, Master Gardener