Winning with Reward Charts
Struggling to get your kids to eat more veg? A reward chart can turn mealtime into a fun, pressure-free challenge! With the right approach, it can help even the most reluctant eaters feel proud of their progress—no matter how small.
Struggling to get your kids to eat more veg? A reward chart can turn mealtime into a fun, pressure-free challenge! With the right approach, it can help even the most reluctant eaters feel proud of their progress—no matter how small.
Small steps add up! Whether it’s a first lick, a tiny nibble, or trying a new veg a few times, every effort counts. Reward charts help make these moments fun and positive, giving kids a sense of achievement while keeping the focus on progress—not perfection.
How to win with reward charts
+ check out the Free reward charts to try below
Reward Charts
When used well, reward charts can be a fantastic tool to encourage kids to try new veg without pressure. But getting the approach right is key! To help set you up for success, child psychologist Dr Clare Holley, one of our expert panel, shares her top tips for making reward charts work for your family.
Let's recap Clare's top tips!
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What counts as “trying” is up to you! For some kids, it’s licking or sniffing a new veg. For others, it’s a tiny bite—even if they spit it out! The important thing is that they know what they are doing for the reward, and that they interact with the veg (no hidden veggies here!). Set goals that work for your child, and make sure they are clear on what the reward is for. And remember that they look to you for their examples, so make sure they see you eating the veg, too!
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Non-food rewards work best. The real reward is the shared experience with you. A small toy, extra story time, a shared favourite activity, or a fun game together can make it meaningful. Rewarding eating veg with dessert can lead to long-term associations with veg as ‘bad’ or a chore and dessert as the fun ‘reward’. We are trying to build positive associations with veg.
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Make it a fun ritual and praise, praise, praise! Adding stickers to the chart together (and celebrating each win) helps build positive food experiences. Whatever you use as a reward, couple it with lots of praise – this is what makes rewards really work. Make sure you are praising their attempts, their successes, and any positive interaction with the veg.
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Take the pressure off. Research tells us that the more pressured a child feels to eat something, the less likely they are to eat it in the long-term (even if on that occasion they have another mouthful). Sometimes simply moving to outside of mealtimes as part of a fun-tasting activity or a snacktime can remove some of that mealtime stress we all know too well!
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Personalise the process. Print one of our free reward charts, grab a cheap pack of stickers from the shops, and get started!
Find the right reward chart
Join the Fight!
Eat Them To Defeat Them is a fun, multi award-winning campaign helping kids to eat more veg. With action-packed charts, kids become superheroes defeating veg villains—turning trying into a playful mission! Perfect for picky eaters.
Eat the Rainbow!
A simple, fun way to get kids excited about trying new veggies. This chart encourages those already eating some veg to explore more colours and varieties—making healthy eating a playful and rewarding adventure!
Broccoli Challenge!
Turn broccoli into a fun mission! This chart helps kids give it a try, take small bites, and discover its superpowers. Watch them grow their veggie bravery and add broccoli to their list of favourites!
Leek Adventure!
Join the fun and give leeks a go! This reward chart encourages your child to take little tastes, explore new flavours, and become leek champions. A great way to grow confidence and add leeks to their list of favourites!
Tomato Challenge!
Let’s make tomatoes a new favourite! This chart helps kids take small steps to enjoy juicy, tasty tomatoes. Every sniff, lick or bite is a win—build confidence, explore new flavours, and become a tomato champion!
Coming soon!
We’re working on more reward charts all the time, so watch this space!
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