Children who love soups
How to get your children to truly enjoy a warm bowl of delicious soup without engaging in yet another power struggle at the dinner table. Here is how we do it:
At the grocery store, get plenty of fun dry pasta of different shapes and colors. Alphabet, Radiators and stellar noodles are loved by children.
In my pantry, I like to keep all of my cans, dry noodles and rice at my children’s eye level. This makes it easier to include the kids in the process of making a meal & choosing what goes inside.
Letting our children make their own choices is something that we are encouraged to do as parents. Be mindful how and when you do so. In this case, the choice given is not the meal but what goes inside the meal. This makes all the difference. By giving choices we empower our children and give them a sense of control. Scroll to the bottom for exemple of sentences/ what to avoid saying.
Let your children choose between rice or noodles, vegetable or chicken broth & their choice of protein. This can be chicken, beans, beef, lentils, ect.
Chunk of tomatoes are often a struggle for children. Ask your kids if they would prefer bites of tomatoes in their soup or to not see them. Then choose between tomato juice or a can of diced tomatoes. Even if you know the answer, still ask and let them choose.
Pour your children’s bowl of soup before your own, let it cool off before serving it. I do so 5 minutes prior to ours. That way we can all eat together at the same time and nothing is keeping us from diving in. Ask your children if they want their soup to have lots of broth or not.
Lead by example & use gentle phrases that validates your child’s feelings while firmly leading them towards healthy choices :
“Yes, we are eating soup for diner because this is what your body needs right now. You get to choose what we will put inside the soup today and we will call it (your child’s name) soup”.
Or “You get to pick what you will dip inside your soup. Do you want Grilled-Cheese, crackers or bread?”
Avoid saying: “Do you want to eat soup today?”
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