1) “I’m no monkey’s bottom – give me another mouthful”
2) “No one’s stealing my food – pass me the ketchup”
3) “No one’s going to beat me – where’s my pudding”
4) “Hmm… I think Mummy’s tricked me!”
My two boys are constantly on the move, even at meal times, which makes getting them to finish their food almost impossible. So with this in mind I decided to turn eating into a challenge, something that would appeal to their sense of competition. The result was the rather unusual plate accessories you see above. They clip onto the edge of the plate and carry different messages, all aimed at getting kids to ‘finish their food’. And they do work – I’ve tested them!
The trickiest part will be making the clip attachment. I used a bulldog clip, thick wire and some pliers. Just follow the diagram above – the goal is to firmly attach one end of the wire to the bulldog clip, and then bend the other end in such a way that it can grip the base of the cards.
As for the the card designs, they don’t need to be highly finished, the idea and message is more important – just have fun. But just in case you are out of inspiration, I have made colour and black and white versions of my designs available for download (see link below).
Includes:
1) Colour versions of artwork – just start assembling
2) Black and white versions artwork – have fun colouring them in first
3) Collectable instructions – they look nice in a folder
212 downloads so far, thanks everyone!
I’d like to thank Diane, owner of the excellent Craftypod website. I recently purchased her Creating a blog audience e-book, and it has been a great help to me. Diane was also kind enough to offer me some advice – so this post is dedicated to her!
These are too cute. If I had a problem child (eating, that is) I would try this. However, I relied on cheese.
Ha ha. Scott:-)
This is the greatest blog! Very colorful and creative! i will be visiting here regularly
Thanks Vicky, looking forward to seeing you here in the future. Scott
What a riot! My depression has flown the coop! I now recommend you to medical professionals
Thanks for the comment, I’m glad you liked them. Scott
scott, super idea, where were these when my kids were small LOL. now it is grands who are super-picky! their mother was the same way so i guess they come by it naturally!!
Yes, I never thought getting my kids to eat would be so tricky – and not so much because they are fussy, but because they won’t sit still long enough to eat all their food – it’s like perpetual motion in our house! Thanks for the comment, come back again. Scott
You are talented and creative – these are genius!
What an awesome idea!!
Thanks Patricia:-)
Those are great. Seriously funny.
Thanks Lisa
Oh, my goodness! I am honored, and you have made my whole day. Thank you so much, Scott! And I just love this blog of yours. I may make myself a few of these cards. Sometimes I don't finish my meals, either.
(chuckle) I don’t have the same problem. I probably could do with a some ‘Stop! You’ve eaten too much’ cards.