I've been doing this for about 4 years now. My kids love it. I love it because it has really cut down on the amount of food I waste. For food program, instead of having to put a full serving on each plate, it only has to be in the bowl. So for right now I have 4 kids. 2 eat pretty well and 2 barely touch their food. Instead of putting a serving on each plate and needing to have extra for the ones that are still hungry, I can put 4 servings in the bowl. I teach them to "take what they are going to eat" and if they say they won't eat it, I make them take a tiny bit. So the rest of the serving for those that aren't going to eat it can be given as seconds to those that are still hungry. Same for milk. I only have to put the required servings in the pitcher. If they choose to only pour 2 sips of milk because that's all they are going to drink, then there is extra for anyone who wants more - after they eat their food of course.
It's also great for hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills
