Sensory activities are great for development! Especially if you have kids that are autistic, have sensory processing disorder, or a variety of challenges from being on the spectrum / neurodiverse. It's also just great for kids for a bunch of reasons! (Why Kids Should Cook).
Asking your child to help choose recipes and involving them in making a list before cooking, is a great way to encourage picky eaters to broaden their horizons a bit. My ASD girls still eat their safe foods for the majority of the day, but cooking has been a child lead task that makes trying new foods fun and less stressful.
Here are 7 ways to make cooking a sensory experience for your little chef.
1.Use foods that have a variety of textures. Smooth peppers, bumpy broccoli, slimy avocados. Don’t forget “mouth feels”! Ask questions like, "is it chewy? Is it tough?" (and for my 3 year old, “should you eat that?”).
2. Use spices. You should be doing this anyway. Use foods that are bold and fragrant.
3. Explore Flavors. Lick lemons, try to categorize foods as salty, sweet, bitter, etc.
4. Use foods that have different colors. Eat the rainbow. Create a visual experience using a variety off foods with different pigments. You can also use foods with different shapes to create pictures (think tangrams for foods).
5. Let your kid do the work. Have them mash potatoes, peel bananas, and knead dough. Roll the dough, oil the pan with bare fingers, rub seasoning into chicken skin. Heck, let them do the dishes!
6. Expose your child to different [safe] temperatures. Cold butter, ice bath for hard boiled eggs, cold ingredients, warm muffins, and warm water to wash hands.
7. Add different textures together. Cold yogurt with warm granola and honey. Whipped cream on fresh berries topped with sunflower seeds. Crunchy celery sticks with thick, sticky peanut butter. So many complex textures and flavors that you can combine!
There are also many other benefits associated with inviting your neurodiverse kiddo, or any kiddo, into the kitchen. You can find them here.
Do you have a favorite meal or snack your little one enjoys making? I'd love to hear it! Please share in the comments!
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