We have all been told “don’t play with your food” at one point in our life. By now we have probably said it a couple times to our own kids even! However, food play is actually a wonderful way to introduce a picky eater to new foods, decrease sensory sensitivities, and create a fun and positive association with mealtimes! Where do you start with appropriate food play? Well our Occupational Therapy team is here to show you the way! Actually they are here to show 8 ways to play! Scroll down and check out our8 OT Ideas for Food Play!
- Painting: using fingers or brushes, paint with sauces, yogurts, purees, etc.
- Bag It Up: Place foods inside a Ziploc bag for safe tactile exploration if your child is not ready to
touch with their bare hands. You can also have your child wear a rubber glove to touch
and explore - Picnic or tea party: eating is more fun with friends! Set up a “picnic” or a tea party with your child’s favorite toys, stuffed animals, and/or action figures and share the meal together!
- Puppets: puppets are a great way to model eating foods. Your child can feed the puppet
or hold the puppet while you feed it - Cookie cutters: use cookie cutters to make fun shapes with fruits, breads, veggies,
meats, cheeses - Cars/trucks: have cars or trucks transport food, drive through sauces to make fun tracks,
or even have the food “drive” - Play restaurant: take turns being waiter/waitress, cashier, etc. Your child can “order”
foods or serve the food - Play games with textures or flavors: you can play games such as “find the juiciest
blueberry” or “which chip do you think tastes the saltiest?” to help explore a variety of
tastes and textures - (Bonus) Play chef: while preparing a meal, have your child help be the “chef” by mixing, pouring,
plating, spreading, etc. A chef hat is always a great addition!
More Tips & Tricks
If touch is your biggest problem at the dinner table, provide your child with a paintbrush, spoon, tongs, or other utensil. Make sure to avoid forcing your child to interact with foods! If your child continues to struggle with feeding skills, such as picky eating, chewing, managing liquids, or any other mealtime-related skills, Contact Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center at 773-687-9241 to set up an evaluation with one of our feeding specialists.
