Recommended Age: 3 and ½ to 4 years (or after many experiences with the tasting exercise)
Level of Parent Involvement: High, this exercise requires some preparation and full engagement during initial presentation
Prerequisites
- Child must be able to identify the 4 fundamental categories of taste (salty, sweet, sour and bitter)
Materials
- A platter
- A variety of foods from each of the 4 categories of taste (salty, sweet, sour and bitter)
- Forks/ spoons depending on your selection
- Napkins
Preparation
- Make a platter containing at least 2 foods from each of the 4 categories of taste (bite sized/small pieces of food are idea)
Ensure you have enough for yourself and the child to try (for each of the categories you will need 2 different foods but 4 pieces in total so they you may test the food with your nose unblocked and blocked)
Steps
- Invite the child telling them “Today we are going to explore taste and smell together!)
- Let the child know that you have prepared a platter of different foods for you to taste together
- Bring the platter to the table, invite the child to bring the spoons/forks and napkins
- Try a piece of food from one of the categories, describing the taste (e.g. “that watermelon tastes sweet”
- Then try the same piece of food this time using your fingers to block your nose
- Invite the child to try, first with their nose unlocked then blocking their nose
- Repeat for a couple of more pieces of food from the different categories, inviting the child after each time you have a turn
- Once both yourself and the child have had sufficient experience in tasting the foods both with noses unblocked and blocked, smell a piece of one of the previously tasted foods (for example the watermelon)
- This time explain the smell to the child “this smells sweet”
- Invite the child to smell then taste, showing the child the connection between smell and taste
- Repeat as above for the remaining foods on the platter
