A good eating routine can establish many healthy habits in children – from eating right to gaining responsibility.
As with a good sleep routine, eating schedules should go by the clock. Always start with breakfast -- the foundation of good eating habits -- and try to eat every meal at approximately the same time every day. It is hard on anyone to eat lunch at 11 and then not have dinner until 7 that night. If meals are too close together it might be tough to get anyone to eat.
Setting solid meal times should help curb over eating or under eating, help the body know when it is time to eat next and reduce the need for snacking, which can wreck good eating habits all together. In that same sense, set a morning and afternoon snack time if needed, and limit it to healthy foods at that.
Additionally, have the children help out with the work that needs to get done each meal. Depending on their ages, have them take turns setting the table, clearing the table, doing dishes and even helping cook. This can instill the responsibility of helping around the house and the kitchen in addition to establishing good eating habits.