Try it once, try it twice, trying new foods is nice! 

Getting preschoolers to try new foods is hard…but it is worth the challenge! According to the CDC, the preschool years (ages 2-5) set the stage for the development of healthy habits and play an essential role in how children think, eat, and behave as they grow into adults.  

The Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) partnered with the Pembroke Elementary Preschool to provide monthly “Stories and Snacks” sessions to 78 preschool students. During each session the FCS Agent read age appropriate children’s books depicting characters making healthy food, relationship and physical activity choices. The children were encouraged to ask questions and share their experiences with certain foods or physical activities discussed in the stories. Following discussion time the children were given a healthy snack to taste. Many times the snack was a new food for the preschoolers. Each child was encouraged to try two bites of their snack before deciding that they did or did not like it. Children who were willing to try two bites were given a small prize such as a sticker or pencil.

”Stories and Snacks” sessions were a great success. On average 90 percent of the preschoolers tried two bites of their snack and 100 percent enjoyed the story time and discussion. The preschool teachers reported that the children look forward to “Stories and Snack” each month. The teachers also shared that they have been able to use some of the snacks tried during the sessions for snack time throughout the school year. The program went so well that “Stories and Snacks” is continuing on this school year for a new group of preschool students.