Play With Your Food: How Sensory Play Helps Kids Try New Foods!

By Emily Crum

Emily is a Dietetic Intern from the Emory Dietetic Internship Program and is training to become a Registered Dietitian! She holds a bachelor’s degree in Dietetics and a master’s degree in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Georgia. Emily has a passion for anything food, cooking, or nutrition related. She spent the last few weeks as a Small Bites Adventure Club intern!

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Have you ever been told not to play with your food? Well, it turns out that this can actually be just the right thing to do! A study of preschoolers in the UK found that sensory play actually helps kids get more comfortable with fruits and veggies. The researchers split the 3- and 4-year-olds into three groups: one did food sensory play, another did non-food sensory play, and the third just got a visual exposure to food. The kids who played with their food were way more likely to try new fruits and veggies afterward—even ones they hadn’t seen before.

Ultimately, allowing children to explore and play with food can help them become more ready to eat new foods. These activities are great for when they’re away from the table, so they don’t feel any pressure to eat the food.

The idea is that the more children are exposed to a new food, the more likely they are to try it. And, the more they try it, the more likely they are to enjoy it!

Here are five ideas for incorporating food play into playtime at home. 

  1. Painting with purees: Your child can finger paint with pureed fruits and vegetables (or use a paintbrush!). The puree or yogurt can also be spread on a sheet pan, and they can practice writing their name and drawing pictures on it.

  2. Funny faces: Have your child use foods to make funny faces and pictures on plates or sheets of paper. 

  3. Building: Create towers with cheese cubes and cucumber slices. Your child can also use carrot or celery sticks to create roads around the towers and put up broccoli “trees” to make a whole town!

  4. Stamps: Cut beets into shapes with cookie cutters and use them as paper stamps! This works well with potatoes or apples, too. Cut them into shapes and dip into purees or food coloring.

  5. Sensory bin: Create a sensory bin with cooked noodles, mashed potatoes, beans, or rice. Yes, ew- it can get messy, BUT SCIENCE! Your child can drive toy cars through the bin, dig for buried toys, or practice scooping and measuring with measuring cups and spoons.

Introducing fruits and vegetables in a fun setting without the expectation to eat them takes the pressure off kids and can make trying new foods less scary for them. When it is time to serve them at the table, you can encourage your kids to help with cooking and serving. And remember, it’s okay if they don’t like it at first! They can always try again.

You can play games at mealtimes, too! Read all about our favorite games for family meals. And, for more tips on picky eating and helping kids try new foods, check out this blog post here. 

Let us know what you try!

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