Boost Baby’s Sensory and Feeding Skills with these Fun Food Play Ideas
- Messy food play aids in developing sensory and fine motor skills while reducing picky eating.
- Prepare for messy play by cleaning hands and toys, using bibs, and protecting the floor.
- Engage in 15 playful activities such as edible sand, food painting, making food faces, and using digging toys with food.
Playing with food has so many benefits for baby! It can help:
- Develop sensory integration
- Strengthen fine motor skills
- Encourage eating a variety of foods, which may reduce picky eating
Just like any other form of play, messy food play is a great opportunity to learn and explore.
First, before you start playing with food, prepare for making a mess!
How to prepare for messy food play
- Wash baby’s hands before they play with food.
- If baby is using toys during messy food play, also make sure their toys are clean.
- Give baby a bib to protect their clothes (or remove their shirt).
- If necessary, lay down some protective plastic or newspaper on the floor to prevent stains or messes on the floor.
Now, get ready to play! Check out these 15 ideas for messy food play!
15 ideas for messy food play
- Make edible sand and play with toys in cereal sand. Watch below!
2. Smash soft solids, like cake, jell-o, or mashed potatoes.
3. Blow bubbles in milk, water, or thin pureed fruit or vegetables.
4. Make food faces or shapes out of small fruits or vegetables, like berries or peas.
5. Paint with thick solids like pudding or yogurt. Watch below!
6. Put food in different containers. Have baby tip over and explore the containers to get the food out.
7. Stack crackers or cubes of cheese as high as you can get them.
8. Eat like an animal! Pretend to be an animal (like a dog or cat) and eat food like that animal would.
9. Use digging toys to scoop and move food around.
10. Put liquids or loose solids in plastic bags and have baby play with and squeeze the bags.
11. Have a picnic! Eat on the floor or outside on a blanket.
12. Mix foods together with hands. Try tasty combinations like mixing broccoli into mashed potatoes or pudding and sprinkles.
13. Make fingerprints or handprints in thick solids.
14. Hide a small vegetable or fruit in a thick solid, like mashed squash or potatoes. Have baby search for the vegetable or fruit.
15. Decorate pancakes like they are a face with strawberries, bananas, berries or chocolate chips.
