Turning Food Into Fun: Helping Picky Eaters Feel Safer Around New Foods

This is the ultimate resource for food fun!

Whether you are a feeding therapist or a parent struggling with a picky eater, this idea book will spark so many new and exciting ways to interact with food.

You'll notice I said interact rather than take a bite.

Asking a picky eater to take a bite can create lots of anxiety and dysregulation, which then causes a fight or flight response. When we are in this stressed state, we have a really hard time consuming food because our body is getting ready to run and protect.

Before a child reaches the ultimate goal of taking a bite of food, they have to feel safe and comfortable with all the steps that come before it. So how do we get them to interact with non-preferred or new foods? We teach them how to play with their food!

This idea book provides you, your children, and your clients so many ideas on how to play with a variety of fruits, veggies, and proteins!

You can use the idea book in a variety of ways:

• Let your child pick out a few items that they want to play with this week, then they can find them at the grocery store.
• Bring the idea book to your therapy session and let the child choose food items that look interesting.
• Print out only the food items that you will be interacting with that day.
• Print out specific food pages as "homework" for clients and families.
• Watch the food video then have the child make their own!

In this resource you'll find:

• Information about the differences between a picky eater and a problem eater
• How our sensory systems impact feeding
• How to teach children to be food explorers.
• Suggested items for your own food explorer kit
• Play ideas for 36 different food items, spanning 3 major food groups
• Each food item comes with an activity sheet with 4 ways to play or interact with the item PLUS a fun video demonstration accessed through a QR code (or link if you are using a computer)
• 17 of my favorite items to use in feeding therapy
• A link to download 10 bonus activity sheets (Oats, Sweet Potato, Papaya, Hot Dog, Spaghetti, Peaches, Crackers, Bread, French Fries, Tortilla Chips)

Children learn and grow through play. So why not play with our food??

Foods Included:

• Apple
• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Bacon
• Banana
• Beet
• Blueberry
• Broccoli
• Brussel Sprouts
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Cheese stick
• Corn
• Cucumber
• Egg
• Grapes
• Kale
• Kiwi
• Lemon
• Lentils
• Meatballs
• Melon
• Mushrooms
• Orange
• Pancakes
• Peppers
• Pepperoni
• Pineapple
• Pomegranate
• Raspberry
• Spinach
• Strawberry
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Waffles
• Watermelon

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