Toddler Sensory Food Play Lunch Date

When brainstorming ideas of what to do with an hour before lunchtime with my daughter and her friend, the idea came to me to throw together a lunch that included a plethora of foods I had around.

Tray at the beginning of the meal. I had so much fun watching them sort through their choices.

Tips for success

• Include foods with different temperatures and colours.

• Make sure to include "safe foods" or foods that are familiar to the child. Kids are more likely to accept new foods when paired with familiar, well-liked foods.

• Mealtimes success means they played and enjoyed the meal. Success should not be gauged on how much and what the ate.

• Use a muffin tray, baby food tray, or even an ice cube tray

• For older kids, offer an assortment of tools to pick up the foods like chop sticks, toothpick, tongs.

• No need to fill each slot with a new food, repeat the same food presented in a different way like avocado slices and then avocado cubes.

Tray at the end of the meal

Food assortment ideas

• Canned beans, rinsed and drained

• Meatball or fish croquette

• Scrambled egg

• Quartered hard boiled egg

• Tofu

• Cheese

• Rinsed cottage cheese

• Cooked leftover veggies

• Fruits and veggies (round shapes should be quartered for infant and young toddlers)

• Cooked noodles

• Bagel wedge or bread finger

• Cereal like Cheerios

• Avocado slices

• Dips: hummus, tzatziki, plain yogurt, marinara, pesto, guacamole

A video of the mealtime shenanigans