You’ll have to choose whether you’re comfortable with encouraging food play for your kid, but I’m cheering you on because the payoff is worth it.
Alisha Grogan shares that the benefit of allowing and encouraging your child to play with their food is that it helps them eat new foods. That food play also fosters a spirit of exploration with food for many years to come.
Here are Alisha’s three ways to play with food:
– During playtime
Set aside time for playing with food away from meals. The first way to get your child playing with food is to set it up just like any other play activity (e.g. painting with food, free play with dough, Cheerio or noodle necklaces).
– While cooking together
Get your kid playing with food while you cook together! Cooking is a wonderful time to engage your child with playing with their food (e.g. make a smoothie, rinse, dry off, and dip fruit in chocolate).
– During meals
Encourage playing with food during meals. Playing with food during a meal should not include pressure. You should model playing with food for your child. Don’t pick their food up and play with it for them. Pick up your own food and wait for them to imitate.
Compiled by PHALIMO MOEKETSI Source: YOUR KIDS TABLE/ALISHA GROGAN
