Spring Has Arrived at Little Grasshoppers: Discover Our Fresh New Spring Menu for 2026
At Little Grasshoppers Early Learning Centres, we believe nutritious food plays an important role in helping children learn, play, connect and grow.
With spring arriving on the Mornington Peninsula, we are excited to introduce a new  Spring Menu at each centre for 2026, filled with fresh fruit and vegetables, wholesome snacks and a varied selection of meals for children to enjoy throughout their day.
Our seasonal childcare menu has been thoughtfully created to provide plenty of variety while introducing children to different flavours, ingredients and cuisines in a familiar, relaxed and social early learning environment.
A nutritious start to every day
Children begin their morning with cereal and/or toast, milk and water, followed by morning tea featuring options such as fresh fruit, oats, yoghurt, porridge and custard.
Fresh fruit features throughout the week, including seasonal favourites such as apple, pear, orange, watermelon and banana, helping children enjoy a colourful variety of foods as part of their everyday routine.
For our youngest children, our Nursery menu includes age appropriate options, with freshly cooked vegetables provided daily for babies.
A world of flavours at lunchtime
One of the highlights of our Little Grasshoppers Spring Menu is the variety of lunch options available across our two week rotation.
Children will have the opportunity to experience dishes inspired by flavours from around the world, including:
Introducing children to a variety of tastes and textures during the early years helps create positive experiences around food and encourages children to become familiar with different ingredients and cuisines.
Healthy snacks to keep little learners going
Busy days at childcare require plenty of energy, so our Spring Menu also includes a varied selection of morning and afternoon snacks.
Depending on the day, children may enjoy sandwiches, savoury platters, coconut loaf, fruit salad with frozen yoghurt, cornflake cookies, hummus with rice crackers and vegetable sticks, cheesy mite scrolls and fresh fruit.
A late snack is also available for children who are still with us after 5:15pm.
Sharing a meal helps friendships grow
At Little Grasshoppers, we believe mealtimes are about much more than eating.
Eating together gives children another important opportunity to develop friendships and build connections with their peers. Friendships do not need to rely only on what happens in the playground or during structured play.
When children sit around a table together, they can talk about their day, share stories, listen to one another, laugh together and enjoy a common experience.
These everyday moments can help friendships blossom and a sense of belonging grow.
A shared meal creates a natural environment for conversation. Children sit beside their friends, talk about what they have been doing and experience the simple social connection that comes from eating together.
Over time, these shared moments can help strengthen relationships and give children another foundation upon which friendships can develop.
Trying new foods together
Eating alongside friends can also help children become more confident when trying unfamiliar foods.
Research into peer modelling has shown that children can be influenced by the eating behaviours of other children. When a child sees their friends enjoying a particular fruit, vegetable or meal, they may feel more comfortable and curious about trying it too.
This is one of the reasons we believe variety and shared mealtimes work so well together.
Our seasonal menus include familiar favourites alongside different flavours, ingredients and cuisines, giving children opportunities to explore food in a comfortable environment surrounded by their peers and educators.
Rather than making trying something new feel like a big event, it can simply become part of sitting together and enjoying a meal with friends.
Mealtimes are part of early learning
Mealtimes also provide valuable opportunities for children to practise important developmental and social skills.
Through eating together, children can develop:
For us, a shared meal is an important part of the Little Grasshoppers early learning experience.
It is a time for nourishment, but it is also a time for children to connect, communicate, discover and strengthen friendships.
Supporting individual dietary requirements
We understand that every child is different.
Children with food allergies and intolerances are provided with suitable nutritious alternatives, helping ensure they can safely participate in shared mealtimes with their friends.
Fresh vegetables are incorporated throughout the menu to help support children’s nutritional requirements, and water is available throughout the day as part of our focus on healthy everyday habits and dental hygiene.
Fresh food, shared experiences and happy little learners
Our Spring Menu 2026 reflects our commitment to creating positive everyday experiences for children from six weeks of age through to school age.
From discovering a new flavour to sitting beside a friend and talking about their day, some of the most valuable moments in early learning can happen around the table.
We look forward to sharing another season of fresh food, new flavours, conversation, friendship and discovery with our Little Grasshoppers children.
Looking for childcare on the Mornington Peninsula?
Little Grasshoppers is a local, family owned early learning provider that has been caring for and educating children on the Mornington Peninsula for more than 35 years, with centres in Mount Eliza, Mornington, Moorooduc and Somerville.
If you are looking for childcare, early learning or Kindergarten on the Mornington Peninsula, we invite you to discover Little Grasshoppers and arrange a centre tour.
Explore our Spring Menu 2026 and discover what is being served at Little Grasshoppers this season.