We’ve all been told at some point or another to ‘stop playing with your food!’, usually from exasperated parents who want us to stop pushing the peas around the plate or moulding the mash into a mountain and eat it! But what if you encouraged your kids to play with food instead and even helped them turn the dinner drama into fun!?
Part of helping children enjoy eating is to really immerse yourselves into food, seeing it as something beyond just fuel. From learning to grow or shopping for and preparing ingredients, this is especially transformative for children who struggle with eating difficulties, or resist enjoying their fruit and veg.
Turning food into a sensory game, or playing with food, all helps to normalise it. Kids who experience how fun food can be, are more likely to try new things!
4 IDEAS:
1. A Sensory Exploration:
Disconnecting from distractions, together with your child, connect with one food across all the five senses eg: lettuce leaf. How does it feel to touch? How does it sound when rubbed or squeezed? Finally have them smell it and end with taste, all the while talking about what they experience!
2. Turn Food Into Models:
Make animals and characters from fruit and vegetables. This is a great way to get kids handling fruit and veg that they may usually shy away from, using bits of food creatively.
3. Make Art From Food:
Using beans, pulses and seeds, make collages and seasonal artwork, greetings cards, magnets or even brooches!
4. A Taste Journey:
Take kids on a taste journey through the 5 tastes (salt, sweet, sour, bitter and umami) with one or two food items from each taste to try.
Laura Seymour is the founder of Foodiniclub.co.uk, a kids cook & craft club for 5-12 year olds, delivering seasonal packs of foodie fun and inspiration across the UK.
Established to help families connect with eating and enjoying seasonal fruit and vegetables while learning essential cooking skills, the club has helped change hundreds of children’s eating habits, encouraging exploring new tastes and building confidence.
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To find out more about Ochre House’s Nourishment and Herbal Therapies click here.
Photos: FoodiniClub
