Related Articles
The Food Guide Pyramid for Preschoolers
Learn about the food groups and how much your preschooler needs each day.
Healthy Portions - Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe makes the perfect healthy portion - 3 cookies - for you and your preschooler to share.
Yogurt - A Review of Kids' Yogurt
Ever wonder what different about kid's yogurt and which is the right choice for your preschooler?
Preschool Food Activity - Flavor Your Own Yogurt
Next time you're choosing yogurt for your preschooler, replace the usual pre-sweetened and pre-flavored single-serve cups with a tub of plain, low-fat yogurt. Then have fun showing your preschooler how you can add sweetness, flavor and color from basic home ingredients.
1. Dish out a preschooler-sized portion. Start with plain, low-fat yogurt. Make sure to buy the plain variety, not vanilla-flavored which is already pre-flavored and pre-sweetened. Mix it well to make sure the fat is dispersed. Spoon about 4 ounces of yogurt into a bowl - the same amount in most kid-sized yogurt cups. 4 ounces of yogurt is about 1/4 of your preschooler's dairy goal for the day. Use a kitchen scale the first time to get an idea of what 4 ounces look like.
2. Sweeten the yogurt. Honey has a flavor and texture that makes it a perfect sweetener for yogurt. If you use one or two teaspoons of honey, your home-flavored yogurt will contain less added sugar than the pre-sweetened cups you find at the supermarket.
3. Add fruit flavors. Plain yogurt and honey can be great as is. But fruit adds a nice nutritious punch to your preschooler's yogurt snack. Banana slices, strawberry chunks, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, peach slices and pear pieces are good choices. Since just about any fruit goes well with creamy yogurt, let your preschooler choose his/her favorite.
4. Color it naturally! Your preschooler might be used to the intense colors of pre-flavored yogurt. It can be fun adding colors from natural items in your own kitchen. Mash a few strawberries or cherries in a bowl and add the juices to the yogurt for a pretty pink. Use orange juice for a slight orange. Purple grape juice can give it a blue hue. Plus, these juices can be used in place of the sweetener.
5. Enjoy! Whether it's simply yogurt sweetened with a touch of honey or a bowl of multi-colored fruited yogurt, sit down and enjoy your home-made yogurt flavors with your preschooler.
by Kati Chevaux
Like this article? Get more like it in your inbox. Subscribe today to our free weekly newsletter.