Self Help (Feeding)

This Farmer’s Market guessing-game provides the child with a fun chance to build trust with new food items, without the pressure of eating it all, in an allotted amount of time.

Preparation:

Step 1: Grab a blindfold or bandana. Gather food items (here, we chose a food item that corresponded with every color of the rainbow). Use familiar food items & unfamiliar food items.

Step 2: Have your child put on the blindfold or bandana. Place each food item on a plate.

Step 3: Put the plates in front of the child, one at a time.

Step 4: Ask your child to identify characteristics of food item, using their other senses. Provide them with the language to build that connection with the food in their brain.

Is it heavy or light?
Is it smooth, waxy, prickly?
Does it smell fresh or sweet?
What shape is it?
Is it squishy or firm?

Step 5: Have them give their best guess. Assist them as necessary. Have them open their eyes to see if the food matched their guess.

Step 6: Teach them how to cut, peel apart, or even color with the food item.

If they interact with new foods for the first time, consider this a win! If this encourages them to smell or taste new foods – consider this a win, too!

Tips:

If this may be overwhelming for your child, reverse the roles. Have them give you a food item to identify. Verbalize your observations. This models confidence with interacting with new foods and provides them with the language to describe new foods.
Have them ask you 3 questions about each food item, in order to incorporate problem-solving skills. Perhaps they will ask you, “Where do you see this food item grow?” “What color is the food item?” “When do we usually eat it?”

Enjoy!

1. Prep the Cake Dough Start by having your child “knead” the dough. Encourage them to use both hands to squash, roll, and flatten the play-dough into a thick cake shape. If you have a rolling pin, this is a great time to use it. Pressing down firmly provides calming sensory input to the joints and helps build the hand strength needed for tasks like opening containers or using scissors.

2. Decorate the Cake Once the cake is “baked” (flattened and shaped), it is time to decorate.

The Candles: Have your child push the cut straws into the dough. This requires a nice “pincer grasp” (using the thumb and index finger) and a bit of focus to get them standing upright.
The Sprinkles: Use the rice or sequins to decorate. Picking up these tiny items is excellent for developing precision and coordination.

3. The Birthday Celebration Take a moment to sing a favorite song and let your child “blow out” the candles. This adds a sweet social element to the activity and makes the hard work feel like a game.

4. The Straw Cleanup Challenge After the celebration, have your child pull the straws out. You will notice that some play-dough often gets stuck inside the straw. Give your child an unbent paper clip or a pipe cleaner and show them how to poke the “cake” out from the other end. This is a very focused fine motor task that requires steady hands and patience.

5. Cut and Serve If your child is working on using a knife and fork, use this time to practice. Have them hold the “cake” still with one hand (or a fork) while they use a plastic knife to cut slices. They can then practice the social steps of placing a slice on a plate and “serving” it to you or a favorite stuffed animal.

Why This Helps

This activity covers a lot of ground in one sitting. The initial rolling and squishing provide heavy work that can be very grounding for children. The decorating and straw-cleaning phases focus on fine motor control, while the cutting and serving portion builds independence with utensils and encourages imaginative social play.

Skill: Self Help (Feeding)

Birthday Cake

Why This Helps