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Ramadan parenting: Tips and a simple challenge to help kids avoid food waste
Like our parents, we want to raise children who value what they have, who don’t take resources for granted, and who grow up aware that their everyday choices matter, writes Khuloud Al Nuwais, Secretary-General of the UAE’s national food waste initiative ne’ma
- PUBLISHED: Thu 19 Feb 2026, 10:18 AM
As parents, we hear ourselves saying things our mothers and fathers often said to us: “Finish what’s on your plate.” “Don’t waste food.” “There are children out there who don’t have as much as you do.”
These are values many of us were raised with, rooted in gratitude, care, and respect for what we are given. Today, we are building on that same foundation of care, with additional insights on how children experience food and develop lifelong habits.
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The core lesson remains the same: Like our parents, we want to raise children who value what they have, who don’t take resources for granted, and who grow up aware that their everyday choices matter.
With 2026 being the Year of the Family, the dining table remains one of the most powerful classrooms in any home. It’s where habits form, where children pick up cues about how meals are discussed, how leftovers are handled, and whether abundance feels like celebration or excess. For many parents, the question is not whether to teach gratitude around food, but how to do it in a way that feels healthy, modern, and free of pressure.
Building awareness
As family routines and food choices evolve, there is an opportunity to go beyond habit alone and begin building understanding. In times of relative convenience, it can sometimes be harder for little ones to see food as a resource shaped by effort, planning, and care.
Alongside the values parents already hold around not wasting food, there is growing awareness of the wider impact of food loss and waste. We understand the resources used to produce food, the energy and water involved, and what happens when uneaten food is discarded. Sharing this context, in simple, age-appropriate ways, helps children connect everyday behavior to the bigger picture.
This can be as simple as involving children in conversations about why portions matter, what happens to food that is left uneaten, and how small actions at home contribute to something larger. When children are included in these conversations early, they begin to see themselves as part of the solution.
In practice, this can include inviting children to think about how much they will eat before serving themselves, discussing how leftovers will be used, or explaining why planning meals helps ensure food is enjoyed rather than discarded. Over time, these small moments help turn inherited values around food into informed, conscious choices that children carry with them beyond Ramadan.
Ramadan as a reset
For families looking to have intentional conversations around food, Ramadan offers a natural entry point. The rhythms of the month already place meals in a different context: anticipation, preparation, patience, and shared moments of breaking the fast. These rituals make it easier to introduce ideas around moderation, appreciation, and mindful choices, without forcing a “lesson.” Children learn far more by watching how food is handled in everyday life.
Practical, real-world habits
Here are a few simple, concrete practices families can experiment with during Ramadan:
At the table
Serve meals in smaller portions and allow everyone to go back for seconds. This models listening to hunger cues rather than filling plates out of habit. Children learn that food is available, not scarce, but also not something to pile on “just in case.”
With leftovers
Involve children in storing food. Let them help label containers or decide what might be used for later reinforces values of appreciation and preserving rather than wasting.
In lunchboxes during Ramadan
For children who are not fasting, this can be a powerful teaching moment. Invite them to help pack lunches with intention. Ask, “What do you think you’ll actually eat today?” This small question builds awareness without pressure.
In the kitchen
Cooking together builds respect for food in a way no talk can. Washing vegetables, stirring a pot, or arranging plates creates a connection to the effort that goes into meals. Children who help prepare food are often more invested in valuing it.
A simple Ramadan challenge
If you are looking for a small practice to try this Ramadan, consider inviting your children to help plan one or two iftar menus each week. Let them take on age-appropriate tasks in preparing the meal and draw their attention to quantities based on how many people will be eating.
Then, allow everyone to serve themselves smaller portions, with the option to return for more if they are still hungry. Afterwards, talk about what worked. Was there enough variety? Did less food end up being thrown away? Did anyone feel restricted? What did they observe?
It is a simple social experiment, but it turns mindfulness into something lived rather than explained.
Ramadan, with all its blessings, rhythms, and rituals, offers an important opportunity to reset habits, anchoring joy not in how much is on the table, but in who is gathered around it.
As Associate Editor, Sahim Salim helps tell the UAE story like no one else does — and leads a team of reporters that asks the questions to get news and headlines that matter.
