Getting to Like Fruit (A Handy Food Chart for Kids!)

When you were a kid, did you like blueberries? What about dates or coconuts? Or did you not try these delectable fruits until you were older?

Regardless of when you first tried certain berries or stone fruits, you’ve probably noticed that you are now pretty enthusiastic about some of the ones you didn’t initially like. Part of that is just the process of growing up – after all, kids have more taste buds and a more acute sense of taste than adults do. However, acquired tastes apply to people of all ages.

How kids develop a taste for new flavors

Exposure works wonders when it comes to food. So, instead of just accepting that the little ones in your life will turn their noses up at fresh papaya, we have created a way to help the whole family make informed thumbs-up or thumbs-down decisions about new and unfamiliar flavors.

Although recent studies have brought to light the amazing flavor window of 4 to 7 month olds, you can still get your kids to enjoy new foods even if you’ve missed that ideal window. Studies have found that toddlers can come to enjoy a new food after being introduced to it 5 to 10 times, while 3 to 4 year olds may need to try a new ingredient 15 times before acquiring a taste for it. 

While that may seem like a battle that is just not worth fighting, we’ve created a tool to make the process much less stressful and much more fun. From dates to dragon fruit, this Fruit Discovery Table will help you and your little one to track their fruit adventures (with the bonus of using stickers!):

How to use our fruit discovery chart

Using our fruit chart will provide a fun, interactive path for discovery and let your kids tangibly see how things can change, which is always a great concept to instill in the next generation. Every time your kids are exposed to a fruit on our chart, have them put a sticker in its row. If they don’t like the fruit, they use a red sticker; if they like it so-so, they can use a yellow sticker; if they love it, they get to use a green sticker. It’s as simple as that! 

You can print one chart off for each child and even one for yourself so the kiddos can see you trying and liking a wide variety of fruits, too. Since each chart has 5 sticker slots, you can print off multiple copies to hit that 15 times mark or pop by FedEx to get your charts laminated for easy reuse. It’s a great idea to hang them on the fridge or keep them in a binder for easy access at every meal!

Remember, your kid doesn’t have to try a whole handful of cranberries to get to use a sticker! Some researchers have found that a method called ‘tiny tastes’ can be good enough – just have your child eat a pea-sized morsel of a new food. You can also pair a new fruit with something your kid already loves. So play around and figure out what works best for you and your kiddos.

There are so many nutrient-rich fruits for your child to discover, so we hope you’re excited to bust out the stickers. You can also be a real go-getter by using our Veggie Discovery Table, too. However you choose to insert little flavor adventures into your family, leave us a comment and let us know how it’s going!

A little note:

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