Study reveals the ‘powerful effects’ of storytime on kids’ eating habits

Getting kids to eat their greens might require a touch of magic.

According to behavioral experts, a groundbreaking parenting technique has been discovered that effectively encourages children to consume fruits and vegetables, surpassing the effectiveness of promising dessert or threatening punishment.

German psychologist Werner Sommer and his team developed fairy tales featuring magical fruits and vegetables. They found that just 20 minutes of storytelling about enchanted produce sparked the interest of children in these healthy foods.

In a study published in the February issue of the journal Appetite, researchers from Humboldt University in Berlin and the University of Nairobi explored parenting strategies that empower children to make healthy choices.

They recruited 80 kindergarteners and divided them into two groups. One group listened to a story where the main character was healed by magical vegetables, while the other group heard a similar story without any mention of food.

During a two-week period, the children were given the option of one snack daily — fruit, vegetables, cakes, or cookies — displayed together on a platter.

The researchers discovered that up to 80% of the children who heard the story about magical veggies opted for more fruits or vegetables for weeks afterward, whereas those who heard the food-less story did not change their snacking habits.

“With just a single storytelling session lasting about 20 minutes, we observed a remarkably significant shift from a preference for unhealthy snacks to a preference for healthy fruits or vegetables,” Sommer told New Scientist in October 2024 after releasing their initial findings.

“These findings highlight the influential effects of fairy tale-like narratives in altering food preferences in young children during a time when unhealthy eating habits are on the rise.”