Eating is more than just a way to fuel the body—it’s a sensory experience that engages sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound. Encouraging children to use all five senses while eating can help them develop a deeper appreciation for food, become more mindful eaters, and even be more open to trying new foods.
In this blog, we’ll explore fun and simple ways to help kids engage their senses during mealtime.
When children actively use their senses while eating, they:
✔ Develop a healthier relationship with food
✔ Become more mindful of what they eat
✔ Improve their ability to try and accept new foods
✔ Enhance their understanding of flavors and textures
✔ Learn to enjoy mealtimes as a sensory adventure
By making eating a multi-sensory experience, parents can encourage picky eaters, create more positive mealtimes, and make food exploration exciting!
Before kids even take a bite, they notice how their food looks. Encourage them to:
👀 Observe the colors, shapes, and presentation of their food
🎨 Compare different shades of green in vegetables or the bright colors in fruits
🍽️ Arrange food into fun shapes (smiley faces, animals, or rainbows)
Activity Idea:
Play a food color scavenger hunt—ask your child to find something red, something green, and something yellow on their plate!
Aroma plays a huge role in taste. Help children sniff their food before they eat and describe what they smell. Encourage them to:
👃 Close their eyes and guess the food based on its scent
🥖 Compare the smell of fresh bread to toast
🍊 Notice how citrus fruits have a bright, zesty smell
Activity Idea:
Create a blindfolded smell test with different spices, herbs, and foods, and have your child guess what they are!
Kids often eat quickly without truly tasting their food. Encourage them to:
👅 Take small bites and let the food sit on their tongue
🍬 Describe whether something is sweet, sour, salty, bitter, or savory
🥑 Compare how different textures affect taste (e.g., creamy vs. crunchy)
Activity Idea:
Make a “Taste the Rainbow” Challenge—offer foods in various colors and ask your child to describe how each one tastes!
Texture is a huge part of the eating experience. Encourage kids to:
🤲 Feel different textures with their hands (if appropriate)
🥕 Notice if food is smooth, bumpy, rough, soft, or crunchy
🍚 Compare how dry rice feels vs. cooked rice
Activity Idea:
Have a “Touch & Guess” game where they close their eyes and feel different foods (banana, cracker, avocado) before tasting them!
Some foods make crunching, popping, or slurping sounds when eaten. Encourage kids to:
👂 Listen to the crunch of an apple or the fizz of sparkling water
🌽 Compare the sound of popcorn popping vs. potato chips crunching
🥄 Pay attention to how different foods sound when chewed
Activity Idea:
Make a “Crunch vs. No Crunch” game and ask kids to sort foods into quiet and loud categories!
✔ Eat together and talk about the different senses involved in the meal
✔ Use descriptive words like “crunchy,” “smooth,” “spicy,” or “tangy”
✔ Encourage playful exploration—let kids mix, mash, and experiment with their food
✔ Make it a game—challenge them to describe their food in creative ways
✔ Offer a variety of foods with different textures, flavors, and colors
By engaging all five senses while eating, children can develop a deeper appreciation for food and be more open to trying new flavors and textures. Mealtimes can become fun, interactive experiences that encourage mindfulness and curiosity.
Whether it’s listening to crunchy carrots, feeling the smoothness of yogurt, or smelling warm cinnamon, every meal can be an adventure for the senses!