Food Testing Activities For Toddlers

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months and continued breastfeeding for as long as possible. Growing up milks are formulated to meet nutrition needs of healthy young children older than 1 year and should not be fed to infants.

Taste is likely the most neglected sense when it comes to exploration, despite the fact that the mouth is a normal part of every child’s growth and can be developed through a set of sensory games and activities. Here are some ideas to get you started.

• Allow your child to go through different taste test experiments like cooking and preparing food. Be sure that your tot will enjoy making his peanut butter sandwich and choosing fruits for his smoothie.
• Gather up different foods, then cover your child’s eyes and allow for taste. While tasting, let him guess the nature of each food, what is it made of: is it cold or hot and what does it taste like: is it sour, sweet, salty or bitter?
• Gather up a variety of fluids, then cover your toddler’s eyes and allow for taste. While tasting, ask him to distinguish the water from the milk, the tomato sauce, the apple juice, the orange juice, the pineapple juice, etc and compare between them.
• Help your child make necklaces and bracelets out of cereals and other types of food, so they can be some sort of colorful ornaments at times and delicious snacks at other times.
• Use small food items like raisins and cereals to teach your child how to count and calculate. These types of food can serve your tot as counters and then as rewards.

Those were few examples of sensory play ideas and activities to stimulate toddlers’ taste buds, do not hesitate to apply them on your tot or get inspired to come up with games of your own!

Read More: Technology In Early Childhood