During Mealtime

Including your child in the meal preparation and eating as a family are important activities for your child’s overall development. Meal preparation develops self-esteem and independence and eating together as a family promotes intellectual development and language skills.

Eating meals as a family has long-lasting benefits. The conversations you have at the family table will help you and your children learn more about each other. Have a few conversations about good table manners, but focus on the positive during the meal.

Give your baby ordinary kitchen objects such as wooden spoons and plastic containers to play with while you are cooking. Talk about what you are doing and why.

Teach your child about healthy and unhealthy foods. Talk about the difference it makes for their growing bodies. Use meal preparation to teach how to put together a nutritious meal.

Teach your child where the food you are eating comes from—corn is a plant, chicken is an animal, milk comes from cows, cereal is made from grain, etc.

Ask your child to help by giving him easy tasks such as getting two eggs out of the fridge, measuring one teaspoon of sugar, or tearing the lettuce for a salad.