Food Play for Problem Feeders

Play with your food!

Karina Gonzalez, M.S., CCC-SLP

Do you remember your parents telling you to not play with your food? Well, I'm here to tell you that for a picky eater or a child that is aversive to textures, playing with food is a must. All children need to explore textures with their hands. Exploring the textures of food, helps to develop a good eating habit. It is important to start early, yes as soon as he's old enough to sit on a high chair, and don't be afraid to get messy! Playing with food has many benefits, here are a few:

• Allows the child to become comfortable with the colors, textures, and smells of food with out having to eat it.
• Makes meal time fun.
• Helps get rid of any sensory issues on the hands and fingers (Some of these kids don't like to touch sand, grass, or even soap).
• Builds confidence, especially if you reward them.
• Develops good eating habits (as mentioned above).
• Develops good hand-eye coordination.
• Develops find motor skills, especially if they have to pick up small foods like Cheerios or slippery ones like spaghetti.
• Develops hand to mouth coordination that will also help with overall self feeding skills.
• Helps to develop play skills. 

So how do you play with food? You have to make sure the activity is fun enough for your child to want to participate.
For the little ones, just make a mess on the high chair! pour some apple sauce right on the table and dig in! make circles and other shapes with your finger, and encourage your child to taste his messy fingers.
For toddlers and older children, make art. Use purees, icing, ice-cream, or syrup as finger paint. Then crush some crackers and sprinkle it on top. Be creative. My favorite activity is to make a face, and I found these great plates by Fred and Friends ...
 

Picture source: Fredandfriends.com

These are great! you can then use food to add hair, beard, earrings, lipstick, etc. A male version is also available. You can get these fun plates through amazon.com

Picture source: Fredandfriends.com

Be sure to snap a picture of the finished product so you can display it proudly on your refrigerator door.

Encourage your picky eater to play with food today, and let me know how it went by commenting below.

If you child is having feeding issues, please do not hesitate to contact us at speakeatplay@gmail.com, we can help.

Be sure to share this post with family and friends, you never know who has a child that is struggling with meals at home.