Picky Eater

[playfelt]

We move as a group throughout the day so they need to stay together to be supervised. It also sends a bad message to the others that they can get down to play too and defeats the purpose of serving a meal. I use the same philosophy when it comes to craft time or circletime. You come when called and stay where we are. Your level of participation is up to you. I do not believe that a child should be allowed to wander off from something like circletime if they get bored. They need to stay and I need to adjust what I am doing and how I am reaching out to that child. It is also part of life to learn that the world does not revolve around the child and that are part of a greater entity - the group. Offering the child something better than what they have will always make them want it. I figure there is enough socializing, conversation, discussion etc going on at meal time that there is stuff to entertain the child, they can even see out the kitchen window and watch the birds if they are that bored from eating. I too have the rule that you eat everything on your plate before you get seconds of anything including drink. Even then there is never seconds of teh starch. Mostly I have cooked only as much as I think they will eat so if they eat what is on their plate then they are given other foods to fill them up. This could even be a piece of toast with jam which my kids think is a dessert treat. They generally have apple slices on their tray at lunch which those that don't want the meal still have something to gnaw away on so anything I serve for "dessert" does not need to count in the meal plan. They have their choice of applesauce or yogurt and usually get a cookie such as a newton type along with it. The rationale here is two fold - inspires others to keep eating and means the treats are eaten with a meal and not on their own.