If you have a picky eater toddler and struggling to get them to eat, maybe it’s time to try a little food art?!

Food art is a great way to get picky toddlers to the table as it's both fun and educational. With food art, you can teach your child about food in a non-pressured way, helping to introduce them to new foods at the same time. Plus, it's a great way to bond with your child and make mealtime more fun.

So if you're looking for some creative ways to use food art, check out these 35 ideas. From cookie cutter shapes to fruit and vegetable faces, there's sure to be something that will appeal to your picky eater.

Get Picky Toddlers to Eat with Food Art

A fun way to get your picky toddler to try new foods is to make food art. This can be as simple as using cookie cutters to cut out shapes from bread or ham, or using fruit and vegetables to create cute pictures. You can also use food dyes to colour plain yogurt or cottage cheese. By involving your child in the process of making their food into art, they will be more likely to want to try it.

Eight Creative Ways to Use Food Art

1. Get stacking

There’s so many fun ways to bring fun to food, here’s one. Use a cookie cutter to cut out a small circle from a piece of bread. Then, help your child fill the circle with their favourite toppings, like strawberry jam, or Nutella or maybe even cheese spread!

2. Use a fun plate

It’s not just the food you serve, but the way you serve it!  Munchy Play track plates make the perfect choice for food art, as they’re designed for toddlers and feature a built-in track for trains and cars.

3. Use Food Art to Introduce New Foods.

Food art is also a great way to introduce new foods to your picky eater Toddler. Say you’re trying to get them to eat more vegetables, you can dip carrot sticks in salad cream and then decorate them with edible glitter or sprinkles. Or, you could try cutting fruits and vegetables into fun shapes with cookie cutters and making a face together. Have you tried the simple traffic light party plate trick, if not this is a must! By making these new foods more appealing, your child will be more likely  to want to try them out.

4. Use Food Art To Make Mealtimes Fun

One last way you can use food art with picky eaters is by making mealtime fun. Try setting up a buffet style meal where each child gets their own plate and they can choose which foods they want. You can also have a contest where everyone competes for making the best decoration..

Cookie cutters are a great way to turn ordinary food into fun art. Get your picky eater involved by getting them help select the cookie cutter shapes and using them. You can use cookie cutters with just about any type of food, including fruits, vegetables, sweets, cheese, meat, and bread.

5. Make Fruit and Vegetable Faces.

Fruit and vegetable faces are a fun and healthy way to get picky eaters to try new foods. Let your child use their imagination to create funny faces with their food. Try using different fruits and vegetables for the eyes, nose, mouth, and hair. You can also use edible markers or candy accessories (like eyes) which are fun.

6. Use Food Dyes.

Food dyes are a great way to add colour and fun to meals for picky eaters. Using food-safe dyes you can spell out words or make pictures with dyed foods.

7. Make Food Animals.

Animals made out of food are always a hit with little ones. Use fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, and crackers to create all sorts of animals. Let your child's imagination run wild as they create lions, badgers, bears, chickens, turtles and more!

8. Turn Foods into People.

Another fun way to get picky eaters interested in trying new foods is by turning them into people! Using fruits, vegetables, meat, cheese, and breads you can create all sorts of people. Or perhaps, you can pay tribute to famous people like this example of our crown for the King’s Coronation.

Final thought

Picky eaters can be a challenge for parents, but with a little creativity, you can turn mealtimes into fun and enjoyable experiences for everyone. There are many ways to use food art to encourage picky toddlers to eat, from making food art together to using cookie cutters and food dyes. Perhaps most important of all is the kids’ plate you use, so be sure to order one that is fun all the way! With a little imagination, you can turn even the most mundane meal into an exciting adventure. So get creative and see what works for your family. Who knows, you may just find that your picky eater is transformed into a future chef!