Food Sorting Shapes

Food Sorting Shapes – A Fun Food Activity For Kids

Playing with food is something many parents discourage however kids love to do this as their way of learning about food and how to eat. Using food as sorting shapes gives all kids the opportunity to have fun with food, while also teaching them other valuable skills such as identifying shapes and providing them with new sensory experiences. It also gives you the chance to talk about food, asking them about how it feels, how it looks and explaining why it is good for them.

For fussy eaters interacting with food away from mealtimes is the perfect opportunity to make them feel more relaxed and allows them to play with their food without any expectation that they need to eat it. Once they feel comfortable with the way a food feels to touch they are more likely to bring the food up to their mouth to eat it.

Whether you choose to prepare this activity at the time of meal preparation or away from meal times you will be giving your kids an opportunity to learn new skills, gain new experiences and overcome a few fussy eating behaviours. Depending on the age of your children you can either prepare the vegetable shapes together or prepare the shapes in advance and arrange in small grab-bowls.

SORTING SHAPE ACTIVITY: WHAT YOU NEED

• Paper
• Pencil
• A plastic sleeve or laminator
• Small bowls or serving platter with an assortment of food* e.g. pasta (cooked and/or raw), fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes, bread, cereals, cut into a variety of shapes e.g. circle, triangle, square, rectangle, star, moon etc.

*Always consider the age of your children and choose appropriate foods to include in the activity, especially if your child is likely to eat the food. Avoid any foods that may pose a choking risk and always supervise your child during the activity.

HOW TO PLAY

1. Outline a variety of shapes on a piece of paper e.g. circle, triangle, square, rectangle, star, moon etc.
2. Laminate you paper of place in a plastic sleeve to prevent the paper from going soggy if you are using ‘wet’ foods
3. Wash your hands
4. Prepare the food shapes
5. Place the food on the matching shapes on the paper
6. Make the activity fun and enjoyable
7. If they choose to, let them smell, taste or even eat the food.

INSPIRATION

• Talk about the food: what colour is it? How does it feel? What does it smell like? Why is it good for you?
• Choose a variety of foods that your kids are familiar with as well as foods that may be new to them or they often refuse
• Include foods that you might be preparing for lunch or dinner.

This recipe was featured in the Spring 2014 issue of our Magazines. To find out more about our popular magazines or to purchase online see the links below:

Launch magazine 

Back to School Magazine 2014

Winter Warmers Magazine 2014

Spring 2014

Summer 2014

Annual 2015

Back to School 2015

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