We as adults love a good charcuterie board, but we've found that even children love them, too! My husband is really the great cook in our home and he truly shows his love for his family through acts of service, specifically with food. It was his idea to use boards for building our kids meals on, and it was such a hit, that it stuck!
Most days in our home include at least one meal or snack on a board. Per our kids’ request! They love helping dad cut the items, arrange them in a super fun way and to enjoy eating in a less formal way than having a plate properly prepared for them.
On the surface it’s been fun and interactive, but there’s actually a couple more meaningful and helpful reasons why we keep it up!
Brad noticed at one point, as our youngest became more of a peer to our oldest, that they were often having trouble sharing and were doing a lot of comparing! Who has what, who has more or less than the other, 'she took some of mine', etc. He found that in preparing one shared board, put together as a team, that he was really able to avoid those situations. And it’s been really nice!
He also found that if he was cutting the items ON the board versus another cutting board, there was less to clean up and made for really easy preparation. Putting together and tidying up meal times become a lot more simple and concise!
Speaking of clean up, once the kids have had their serving and have picked through the board to their liking, we simply take all the left overs and put them into a container. Which makes for really great, 'grab and go' meal prepping!
The thing I personally really love about it, is that in relation to Respectful Parenting and Montessori philosophies, it really allows the children to not only feel more independent as they’re able to feed themselves from the board, but they’re also empowered to just tune into their bodies and consume as much or as little as they’d like. Without having a plate prepared for them, there’s no preconceived notion of how much or how little they’re expected to consume. They simply eat at their own pace, deciding WHAT they want to eat or not, with no limits placed on how much of one thing or another they need to consume, all while being in communion with their sibling through the experience. It’s really been a beautiful practice in our home and a way for us to honor their own needs and desires.
When creating the board, everything on it is within our nutritional limits, but I also like the idea of adding things to it that they may not usually go for and definitely wouldn’t ask for. As a way of simply offering it up, giving them the opportunity to try it if they decide to, but no pressure being put on the option.
Brad originally came up with this as a way to be creative, but what I've seen is that its been a testament to how he lives his life, bringing joy into even the most routine of tasks, like an ordinary meal time. With these boards, our children have been able to see their dad make something as typical as a meal, turned into an experience. They watch and help him make it fun and special and I hope that leaves an impact on them as they navigate their day to day life in their own adulthood.
Have you tried serving food to little ones as a charcuterie board? Let me know what you think of the idea or how it’s been for your family, I’d love to hear from you! If you make one, please tag us @teensytidyliving and with the hashtag #teensytidyliving, we'd love to see your creations!
