Power of Words

For February's archive gem here we discover the power of language and how that can have a huge impact on children's diet...take a look at the top tips here and notice what changes when you apply the tips!

How To Talk So Kids Will Listen

Most Popular Post To Date? Here it is...

This year I will be delving into the archives, pulling out a few gems from this blog and discovering what we have covered so far. 

It has been a wonderful journey creating this blog and since May 2010 when I started this project. We have touched on many different topics that can help children enjoy fruit and vegetables. 

So this month we start with the most viewed post of all time from this blog (at the time of writing this!) with over 870 people around the world learning how to include vegetables in Children's lunch boxes in a fun and appealing way.

Enjoy!

Lunch Box Vegetables

Making Vegetables Fun

Metaphors: Encouraging Fussy Eaters

I came across an interesting article on PositivleyPositive.com the other day. A great read on how to help children talk about their feelings. A simple story of a mother and child sharing a moment of honesty to help resolve an argument (you can read the article using the link below).  

Metaphors are also a great way to teach children. Metaphors (a story with a parable) are used in NLP to help the unconscious mind unlock solutions and answers within which can help any given situation. The receiver becomes so wrapped up in the story that they don't realise there is a meaning and solution hidden in there. All is not lost though, the unconscious mind is paying attention and challenging situations and unhelpful habits can quickly be resolved. Here is a great one to use with children for healthy eating...

Here's a little story about Sue...Sue loves music. Everyone has certain types of music they like to listen to and Sue is the same. There is music to relax to, music to dance to, and music to cheer you up. Sue has just the right piece of music already for each of these things. 

She thought to herself one day, "It's funny how my brain knows without even thinking what my ears need to hear to make me feel a certain way". Sue then thought of a time when she heard a piece of music which she knew she didn’t want to listen to. It may have been a great piece of music by a fantastic singer, but it just didn’t settle well with her. She can often tell these tunes just by skimming through a music collection menu when deciding what to listen to. Sue trusts her senses and hears what they are saying. 

Sue now happily lives a healthy life enjoying a wide variety of music, knowing that her ears are receiving many different types of wonderful sounds. Sue also listens to new, unknown music every now and again, feeling excited at what wonderful things she may learn and experience. Some of her favourite songs today that she loves were once a new, unknown song for her in the past. Sue is very happy to have tried listening something new as she now dances to her new favourite song.

You needn't explain the metaphor, just notice what shifts may occur in your child being more open to trying new things and listening to what their body needs. They are a lot smarter than we give them credit for sometimes!

Article - Communication Tools To Help Kids Talk About Their Feelings

A Different Approach

As you may already know, one of my other passions is NLP. During the week I coach people to realise their goals, help to remove limiting beliefs so they can begin achieving the life they have always dreamt of.

So how does this fit in with My Fruit And Vegetable Friends?

Over the month of April I will be posting tips and ideas on how to improve children's diets through the use of language, NLP skills and other valuable tips that I have picked up along the way.

So watch this space!