Food Exploration
Food exploration involves learning about food through play and experimentation with different food properties and should be fun for both your child and you.
Food Learning
- Start at the beginning with learning about where food comes from…
- Read books about farming together.
- Plant a window herb garden together and put your child in charge of watering and harvesting the herbs and adding them to your meals.
- Together plant patio containers with vegetables and fruits. Put your child in charge of watering and harvesting the food and involve them in preparing a meal with your home grown ingredients.
- Visit a pick-your-own fruit or vegetable farm. When you get home, make a dish out of what you pick.
Food Play and Experimentation
Watch this space, food play and experimentation ideas are coming 🙂
Helping in the Kitchen
Young children are naturally curious about the world and enjoy exploring their environment, especially when it involves helping with tasks they see adults doing. This natural curiosity provides the perfect opportunity to involve your young child in the kitchen! Older children can help too; let them take the lead when there are choices to be made about ingredients and presentation.
Food Preparation:
- Give your child a vegetable scrubber and/or colander and have them wash and dry fruit and vegetables.
- With child-safe peelers and knives, let your child help peel and chop foods.
- Using child-safe scissors, let your child cut fresh herbs.
- With a sturdy box grater, show your child how to grate cheese, vegetables, etc.
- Have your child help measure, pour and stir ingredients.
- When a food needs mashing, let your child use a masher or their hands(!) for this task.
- Using a child-safe crinkle cutter or cookie cutters, let your child make decorative food shapes to include in the meal.
South Lakes Speech & Language Therapy’s Posts about Food Exploration & Helping in the Kitchen:
- Time to Have Fun with Food!
- Top Tips for Introducing Children to New Foods
- Tips for Helping with Holiday Meals
This page is a work in progress, please come back soon for more ideas around food exploration and helping in the kitchen.