It’s easy for us to assume children understand where food comes from. But are we always conscious of this as adults?
We often cut up fruits and vegetables for our children, present them as part of delicious snack trays, in yummy recipes or as easy to eat, peeled slices. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise to us that this is how children think food comes – bananas without skin, apples without cores, carrots without leaves. All packaged neatly in plastic wrapping. Children need to see fruits and vegetables in their raw form, covered in earth, with their stems still on, to help them recognise foods and start to have an understanding of where they come from.
Why is this important?
Children’s minds work differently to adults. As we have grown, our life experiences have helped us understand how the world works, how food grows, why we eat it, and how nutrition effects our health. We are able to make judgments on what we put into our bodies easily without guidance. Foods are not new to us.
To a child, everything is new. Everything is a first. It makes sense that experiencing a new taste or texture may make them a little apprehensive and unsure. Children are learning what is safe, and what is not. It is completely normal for them to reject new things out of uncertainty about it.
By teaching children about where food comes from, how we nurture it and help it grow, how it is processed and prepared, we are giving them a connection to it. If they get to feel a food, explore its texture, taste it, squish it, sprinkle it, they are getting to know this food. We are allowing children to become familiar with a food, and familiar things are not so scary.
The more we talk about food with our children, and allow them to explore it, the more willing we will find they are to try new things. Involving children in planting seeds and helping them grow all the way through to cooking and serving the food can give them a real positive connection to this food. If it is related to wonderful, fun experiences, then the fear around something being new and unknown disappears.
It is important we allow children time at mealtimes to process the food they are eating both mentally and physically. To them there may be lots of new sensory processes happening, new taste buds coming to life, textures, and smells. Allow them the time to enjoy eating a meal, no pressure to speed up and clear their plates.
Often, as adults, we worry if a child has not eaten enough as they will be hungry. But this can also be a good learning experience. We tell children to “eat your food or you will be hungry” but what is hunger if you have never been allowed to feel it. How do children know when they need to eat or when they are full if we don’t allow them to discover this feeling? How do children know how much their tummy’s need to feel happy, if we dictate how much they should eat and do not allow them to discover which amounts leave them full and which amounts leave them hungry.
Sometimes, it’s important for adults to remember that every day to a child is full of new learning and development. We must give them these opportunities to listen to their bodies, become familiar with themselves and their own needs. Give them the knowledge they need to make their own decisions. Take a step back. There is a whole world of learning for your child to discover, and we are simply their tour guides.