Month: December 2021

A Healthy Packed Lunch for Kids with Chef Tiger

Making healthy lunches that your kids will enjoy can be challenging. Don’t fret – Master Chef Tiger is here to help make lunch yummier!

Now that your Tiger Cubs are back to school, what better way to make their school days more exciting than some yummy lunch! But packing school lunches is not an easy feat. It takes time to plan and prepare ahead of time. Some kids can be a bit picky with their food, too – just like with their favourite educational videos and shows!

Make healthy lunches fun for kids (just like our videos!) with these helpful tips from none other than the Master Chef himself – ME! (Watch our delicious Food episode on YouTube Kids).

What Makes a Healthy Lunch?

A healthy lunch for growing kids is made up of the majority of the food groups – protein (to make kids strong), carbohydrates (to give them energy throughout the day), and fruits and vegetables.

For carbohydrates, bread, bagels, wraps, or pitta bread are just some great options. Meanwhile, cheese, chicken, and fish are some healthy choices for protein. In addition, there are several recipes available on YouTube that your kids will definitely find something that will suit their taste.

When it comes to fruits and vegetables, children should have at least one serving per day. These delicious produce are also helpful in making their lunches more colourful and fun for kids to eat. Watch videos online to teach you how to make fruits and vegetables more delicious, even for the pickiest eaters!

Avoid giving kids sodas and artificially-flavoured drinks every day, as these are full of sugar that can be harmful to their teeth and their diet in general. Crisps are great for watching movies and videos with kids but keep them to a minimum when packing lunch, as these have very little nutritional value that would not be beneficial for your young learners. If you plan on giving some, put them in a small container rather than packing the entire bag.

Keep lunch fun with these tips!

School lunches don’t have to be boring! Like our funny videos for kids, their packed lunch can be something they can always look forward to.

1. Involve your kids when making their lunch by letting them help you out when preparing them. You can also bring them with you when you shop for groceries so they can be more hands-on with what they eat in school. Make sure to give them healthy options and a little bit of treats every once in a while to keep them motivated.

2. You can make their school lunches creative and more colourful by using different shapes and colours. If you’re up for it, you can even make them bento boxes. There are several videos and tutorials for kids and adults on creating fun and exciting school lunches.
3. Encourage drinking more water by turning it into a game or challenge. You can also let your kids pick out a water bottle in their favourite colour or character. If your kids feel that the flavour of water is too plain or dull, you can sweeten it up by adding some frozen fruit slices.
4. Just like me, kids looooove snacks! They keep our energy up throughout the day. However, readily available snacks are often unhealthy for kids (and tigers!). So instead, you can make healthy versions of your kids’ favourite snacks, such as cookies, fries, or chips. Look up recipes (like this one!) online or watch videos on making healthy versions of your kids‘ faves. 

That’s it, cool cats! Enjoy making healthy school lunches that your kids will love. 

Hungry for more Tiger and Tim? Catch our latest episode up on our YouTube channel with your kids and the whole family, and I’ll see you all again soon!

Tiger xoxoxo

Learning to interact with others is an essential tool for kids to master. Here’s how you can help them improve their social skills.

In our videos for kids, you’ve all seen how Tim and I met several friends in our adventures. We’ve met Father Christmas, a ghost pirate, a scientist, and many more! It has helped me a lot to be a kinder and friendlier tiger. However, learning to be social may not be easy for kids. Watching videos on TV or playing on their phones has made children less socially active nowadays. It could also be frustrating for parents when their kids show difficulty making friends or adapting to social settings.

There are different ways grown-ups at home can help children improve their social skills. Here are some Tiger-certified tips!

1. Encourage eye contact

Making eye contact with the person speaking to them is one way to help children become more effective in communicating with others. It can also build their confidence and be less shy when surrounded by others.

An excellent way to practice eye contact is to encourage your children at home when talking to you, another sibling, or another adult. Not only are they becoming better communicators, but they are also becoming confident and respectful friends.

2. Ask questions about their interests

Teaching kids the art of conversation is a great way to help them become more social. They can learn from you by asking them interesting questions while in a conversation. Allow them to talk about their interests, such as their favourite shows for kids or what they learnt from watching our videos for kids! 

When asking questions, stick to open-ended ones that would keep the conversation flowing. Through dialogue, you are teaching kids the importance of building connections with others.

3. Teach appropriate greetings and responses

Social skills are first learned through simple greetings like ‘Good morning, ‘Good day, ‘Please,’ and ‘Thank you. These simple phrases are easy to understand, and through consistent practice, kids can get into the habit in no time.

For young children, they may need guidance on how to respond appropriately. Some kids may get shy around new people, so they need a little bit of practice and encouragement. There are many online videos for kids to learn more about how to overcome social anxiety that you can watch with them.

4. Teach kids about emotions

Learning about different emotions helps kids not to be confused when mingling with other people. You can teach them through play, videos, or songs for kids about different emotions. Encouraging them to identify how they feel and communicate it to you is also a great practice. You can also do the same thing with them and be more open to talking about your emotions.

5. Emphasize empathy

Another great social skill to learn for kids is empathy. It is one of the values I learnt from Tim and our videos for kids. You can teach them about empathy by talking about different situations or scenarios with your Tiger Cubs, then ask them how other people might feel when this happens to them. Having compassion is a great way for children to understand better how others feel, which makes them form positive bonds with the people they interact with.

6. Be a good role model

It’s no secret that Tiger Cubs love to watch our learning videos for kids to know about the world. But children also learn effectively through observing others, especially grown-ups. An excellent way to improve their social skills is by observing how they interact with others. For example, kids can learn how to ask a question or take time to listen actively during a conversation by watching how they behave. To be an effective role model, you would need conscious effort and be mindful of your actions.

Our Tiger and Tim videos show how kids can positively interact with others, whether with a grown-up or with friends.

Socializing well with children and grown-ups is an important life skill that anyone can learn through our videos for kids (and adults, too!).

Tiger xoxoxo