Growing up, how many times did you hear “don’t play with your food?” Now as a parent, do you find yourself repeating that exact phrase to your children? As adults, we love the idea of less to clean-up and less mess. Many parents even feel anxious when watching their children have messy hands and faces. So instead of letting kids get messy, parents are busy wiping the food off their kid’s face and washing their hands.
But what if letting your kids engage in messy play at mealtime was actually a good thing?
Children learn through play. We teach them their ABCs through songs, use toys to teach milestones, and games to teach sharing. So why would eating be any different?
Kids are not born with the ability to know what a food will taste like just by looking at it. In fact, if you watch a baby first learning to eat, they look at their food, then they touch it, and only then do they try to taste it. Often, food ends up all over their arms, head, and face before it gets to their mouth. Developmentally, a baby learns to eat by first getting messy.
When adults try to keep everyone clean and discourage messy play, it can also hinder a child’s willingness to try new foods.
By allowing a child to touch, smell, and spit a new food out of their mouth, it gives them the opportunity to interact and learn about it. Instead of jumping right to eating it, they can figure out what it might taste like and feel like in their mouth. This also helps increase their comfort around new and unfamiliar foods. This can be especially helpful with picky eaters.
Let’s be honest, playing with your food is also FUN! It can help keep kids more engaged and interested in mealtime, as well as encourage them to sit at the table for longer periods of time. And that makes mealtime more enjoyable for the whole family!
If you’re still nervous about the mess, try using a throw away table cloth, doing messy play right before bath time, or keeping a towel nearby to minimize clean-up.
Not sure how to get started? Use your imagination! Just by looking around the kitchen, you can find tons of creative tools and gadgets that you can use during a messy mealtime. Your kitchen drawers are probably filled with potato mashers, spatulas, cookie cutter shapes, and other items that are ideal for mealtime play.
Here’s a couple easy ideas for playing with your food:
1. Create food art
2. Use your fingers to make shapes and letters in yogurt or pudding
3. Play tic-tac-toe with pretzels and veggies
4. Pretend to put on “lipstick” with dips and condiments
5. Use food coloring to mix and change food colors
Or just take a step back, and let your child lead the play – you might be surprised to see what cool ideas they come up with. Take a couple of deep breaths, roll up your sleeves, and get ready to get messy! Your child will thank you for it!
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only, and cannot and does not contain medical or therapy advice. Any medical or therapy information is provided as my/our personal experiences is not a substitute for professional advice. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals.
Dr. Samantha Goldman is an occupational therapist who helps parents solve picky eating! For more picky eating tips checkout www.theot4me.com.
