Feeding your child healthy and easy kid-friendly meals can be a breeze! Check out our sample kids meal and snack ideas below for a preschooler!
Preschooler’s Eating Interests
Being four years old is such a fun age! Your little one is full of so many questions! This is a great time to get your child involved in preparing food because they are more interested in rules like food safety, and their attention span has lengthened. By age 4 your child will have further developed his or her feeding skills and will continue to expand his or her own food preferences.
At this stage, don’t worry so much about what your child “should” be eating. Instead, focus on making eating a pleasant experience. It’s okay if they eat more on some days and less on other days. Your child won’t starve because of it! Remember to encourage instead of forcing your child to try new foods. Always avoid bribing or using food as a reward, but you can try some of these non-food rewards to encourage healthy eating.
Include your child in family meals by encouraging him or her to select foods from whatever is being served to the entire family, rather than making a separate “kids” meal you know he or she will eat. Acting as a short-order cook only reinforces picky eating behaviors.
Tips for Healthy and Fun Kids’ Meals
- Make eating fun! Use cookie cutters to slice fruit and sandwiches, or come up with fun names to make foods sound appealing.
- Plan your weekly menu to include a variety of foods. Eating is more fun when it involves new foods and flavors.
- Offer water as the primary source of hydration for your child. You can make water fun by adding cucumber or fruit slices for a colorful and healthy fruit infused water.
- Encourage your preschool age child to track the colors of their foods using the Super Crew Color Tracker.
- Set aside specific times for family meals. Eating with your child is a great way to bond and model healthy attitudes toward eating. Set meal times in advance, and make family dinners a priority.
Healthy Sample Menu with Meals and Snack for Preschool Age
| Meal | Food |
Servings from Food Groups |
Breakfast |
Cereal with Berries:
|
|
Snack |
PB and Banana:
|
|
Lunch |
Turkey and Cheese Quesadilla:
Carrots Sticks and Dip:
|
|
Snack |
Pears and Yogurt:
|
|
Dinner |
Teriyaki Salmon Stir Fry:
|
|
*Use low-fat or nonfat milk or yogurt, and low-fat or reduced-fat cheese ½
Needs from Each Food Group
The recommendations from Choose My Plate for a 4-year-old requiring 1200 calories include the following:
- Grains: 4 ounces
- Vegetables: 1½ cups
- Fruit: 1 cup,
- Dairy: 2½ cups
- Protein Foods: 3 ounces
Preschool Nutrition Needs
Our guidelines for dairy are based on USDA MyPlate recommendations. However, some experts disagree on how much dairy is needed. It’s still not clearly evident if we need as many servings as recommended. Some experts recommend limiting dairy to 1-2 servings a day while boosting other calcium sources such as fortified juices and nut milk, sardines, anchovies, kale, collard greens, or bok choy. The best way to build bones is to consume adequate calcium and vitamin D, and get enough exercise, especially weight-bearing exercise, in childhood and adulthood.
For more sample meal plans, read our Sample Daily Menu for a 3-Year-Old Child, Sample Day of Meals for a 2-Year-Old Child, and Sample Daily Menu For A 1 Year Old Child.
