Try It Bite: Simple Ways to Excite Kids About Common Fruits

All my son wanted for snack for a few weeks was banana, and, of course, he grew tired of it.  He became excited about the easy snack again when his sitter asked if he wanted to eat his banana like a monkey.  Monkeys eat their bananas from the opposite ends than humans, and this new approach made bananas a favorite again.
Children are creatures of habit, and it is nice when those habits are healthy, but sometimes you need to slightly shake up the routine to keep them interested.  As the USDA now recommends that most people consume four 1/2 cup servings of fruit per day, below are some different ways to try favorite fruits:

Apples: many young children have problems with apple peels, so parents cut their apple and slice off the peel.  The only problem is that apple slices may be for babies, especially if kids see mom or big sister eating a whole apple, so save yourself the slicing and just give them a whole, slightly smaller apple with the peel cut off in strips.  The stripes look cool, which convinces kids to try the peel with all of its nutritious value, and the whole apple makes them feel grown-up, which just might make the entire apple disappear.

Grapefruit: somewhere in a 1950's cookbook was a picture of a mom giving her child a grapefruit sliced in half with a cherry in the middle and sugar on top, and every since, children have believed that grapefruit is too big of a pain to eat.  Not so!  Skip the hard work (and sugar) and peel and eat grapefruit in segments like an orange; actually, they peel with far greater ease than oranges and yield more meat, giving kids a juicy and messy treat.

Kiwi: most people serve kiwi in slices, but try peeling it and wrapping the whole thing in a paper towel.  Kids get to sink their teeth into it and enjoy the juice as it rolls down their chins.  A little messier than a slice, but the mess makes it taste better!

Raspberries: serve your kids frozen raspberries, as they have a cool texture when you bite into them and immediately break apart and melt in your mouth.

Always remember that kids are naturally curious (if they weren't, we would not need outlet covers) and having fun is paramount, so when you can, use that curiosity and love of fun to your advantage, and before you write off a fruit or vegetable, present it in a new or creative way.  I will guarantee that if that new way involves a mess or using their hands, the written-off fruit will suddenly become a favorite.