Can Sensory Food Play Help with Picky Eating?

“Can Sensory Food Play Help with Picky Eating?” was written by Maria Aroca-Ouellette and edited/reviewed by Maurya Hart, BSc, RD and Jackie Silver MHSc, RD.

Medical Disclaimer: The information in this article is meant for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be personalized medical or nutrition advice. For a plan tailored to your needs, please consult with a Registered Dietitian or qualified healthcare professional.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links with which I may earn a small commission but at no additional cost to you. Affiliate links help bloggers like me to provide you with free content. All opinions expressed here are genuine. 

Last updated: June 16, 2026

Introduction to Sensory Food Play

Many of us grew up hearing “Don’t play with your food!”. It was often seen as rude, disrespectful, or it was simply not allowed in many households. The belief that food play is messy or bad manners is a common feeling, but times are changing, and there is evidence that food play can truly benefit children in the long term. 

With advances in child psychology and eating behavior research, there has been a widely accepted change in our understanding of the benefits of children playing with food. In this blog we will dive into what sensory food play is and who might benefit from it. Further, we will explore some common myths surrounding sensory food play and end with some food play ideas you can do at home!

What is sensory food play?

Sensory food play is a fun and low-pressure way for children to interact with food using their senses: touch, sight, smell and taste. 

While many children naturally play or interact with food as they learn to eat, the goal of sensory food play is not necessarily eating. Instead, the emphasis should be on food curiosity and exposure to different textures, smells and appearances of food. For some children, especially those who are hesitant around unfamiliar foods, sensory food play can help food feel safer and less intimidating. 

Food play is a developmentally appropriate behaviour through which children can learn through exploration and interacting with food. Over time, these positive experiences can reduce anxiety around new foods and support more confident eating. 

Who can benefit from sensory food play?

The short answer: all young children can benefit from sensory food play.

However, sensory food play may be especially supportive for:

• Autistic children
• Children with ADHD
• Children with sensory processing disorders
• Picky or selective eaters (we use these terms interchangeably)
• Children with feeding anxiety
• Children with ARFID
• Children with limited food variety
• Children with oral motor or feeding challenges

For selective eaters and neurodivergent children in particular, mealtimes can feel overwhelming. Unfamiliar textures, smells, and appearances can trigger genuine stress or anxiety. Sensory food play offers a low-pressure way for children to explore food outside of the context of eating. Through repeated, playful exposure, children can gradually build a tolerance and curiosity around foods that might otherwise feel off-putting.

It is important to remember that sensory food play is not a “quick fix” for feeding difficulties or sensory differences. Rather, it is a supportive tool which may help increase comfort and decrease anxiety surrounding food over time. 

Keeping the benefits of food play in mind, let’s dive into what goes into learning how to eat and how to get started with sensory food play in a way that feels safe and enjoyable for you and your child.

What are the steps to eating?

Eating is a process; many children move through predictable stages before they feel ready to actually taste a new food. One commonly used framework is the Steps to Eating hierarchy which was developed by Dr. Kay Toomey of the SOS Approach to Feeding. 

These steps include but are not limited to:

• Tolerating the food being nearby
• Interacting with the food (e.g. poking, using utensils)
• Smelling the food
• Touching the food 
• Bringing the food to the lips
• Tasting
• Eating and swallowing

Imagine as an adult that you are trying unfamiliar food for the first time. Surely, you’d want to observe the food, smell it, and interact with it before putting it in your mouth and eating it. In the same way, as children learn to eat new foods, it is normal for them to interact or play with the foods before they feel comfortable eating them. 

Sensory food play supports children in moving through these steps at their own pace. For neurodivergent children, especially those with sensory sensitivities, these early steps are not “extra” but are rather essential. Skipping the slow exposure to new foods can increase anxiety and reduce willingness to engage with food altogether.

Research suggests that neurotypical children may need anywhere from 6 to 15 exposures to a new food before accepting it. For neurodivergent children, that number can be 20-30 exposures or more. What’s important to remember is that the process often takes longer and the number exposures needed can vary depending on the child, the food, and the level of sensory sensitivity involved. 

Finally, remember that some foods may never be accepted simply because every person has their own preferences.

At Jackie Silver Nutrition, our team of dietitian nutritionists specializes in working with neurodivergent populations who commonly have sensory sensitivities or are selective eaters. We frequently work with parents to incorporate aspects of sensory food play in a positive way, with the goal of expanding food intake and reducing meal time stress. 

Book a 15 minute free discovery call if you believe our team can help you and your child get started with food play!

*We provide virtual nutrition counseling to anyone in Ontario (including Kingston, Ottawa, Kitchener/Waterloo, London, Windsor, and more), New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and US residents of certain states, including but not limited to New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Texas, and California. If your province or state is not listed here, please inquire to see if we can still support you.

What are the benefits of sensory food play?

Sensory food play offers a wide range of developmental, emotional, and feeding-related benefits:

• Builds familiarity without pressure: repeated exposure helps food become more predictable and less overwhelming. 

• Supports sensory development: children explore textures, smells, temperatures, colours, and consistencies which helps strengthen sensory processing skills. 

• Encourages positive food relationships: food becomes associated with curiosity, fun, and safety rather than stress or conflict. 

• Developing fine motor skills: practicing actions like grasping, squishing, pouring, spreading, scooping, and peeling help strengthen hand and finger coordination.

• Supports language development: When adults model descriptive language (ex. “sticky”, “cold”, “smooth”, “crunchy”), the child may practice or be encouraged to describe the textures, colours, smells of the food. 

• May increase willingness to try the new foods: children are often more open to tasting foods they have already explored through play, which can be especially helpful for trying new fruits and vegetables.

For neurodivergent children, these benefits can be especially meaningful. Sensory food play provides predictability, autonomy and builds confidence while reducing pressure around eating.

What can sensory food play look like at different ages?

Sensory food play can look very different depending on a child’s age, preferences, and comfort levels. Importantly, participation should feel low-pressure and child-led, with no expectation that the child must taste or eat the food. 

Play can look very different depending on a child’s developmental age. What is appropriate for an infant learning about solid foods will not look the same as exploration for school-aged children.

Infants (6-12 months)

For infants, touching and playing with food is not separate from learning to eat – it is part of learning to eat. Squishing, smearing, dropping, throwing, and rubbing food are all common developmental behaviours. 

At this stage, babies learn through their senses, which makes touching food important for them to understand texture, temperature, and smell. 

Food play for infants may include:

• Smearing yogurt or purees on a tray
• Squishing soft foods like banana or avocado
• Picking up slippery foods like cooked pasta (of a safe size and shape)
• Dropping food from their highchair
• Exploring food with hands before tasting

Special considerations for young children: 

• Always supervise infants closely during meals and food plays
• Avoid hard, round, or sticky foods that are choking hazards
• Ensure foods are prepared in age-appropriate shapes and textures to avoid choking risks
• Expect and prepare for messes – sensory learning at this age is naturally messy.

Toddlers (1-3 Years)

Toddlers are naturally curious and often seek sensory experiences. This age group may go through phases of picky/selective eating, food refusal, or wanting foods prepared in very specific ways. 

Appropriate food play activities may include:

• Scooping and pouring dry foods
• Pretend cooking
• Finger painting with yogurts or purees
• Smelling different herbs or spices
• Helping to wash fruits and vegetables
• Making edible playdough!

Toddlers will also benefit from learning boundaries around food play. For example, they can start to learn that “Food stays on the table,” “Throwing means the activity is finished,” or “Bananas can be squished and played with, but we don’t throw them.”

At this age, caregivers can also begin separating mealtime expectations, sensory play activities, and everyday manners. Consistency across expectations and calm responses are key to keeping both food play and mealtimes fun and manageable.

School-Aged Children (4+ Years)

Older children can still benefit from sensory food play, especially if they are selective eaters, neurodivergent, have sensory processing sensitivities, or have been anxious around foods and mealtimes. 

At this age, food exploration may become more structured, creative, or educational. 

Examples include:

• Helping to prepare meals: support in learning to peel, wash, dry, or stir in the kitchen. 
• Learning how to cook or bake their favourite treat
• Gardening, understanding where food comes from and learning to handle dirt or textures
• Building food art or themed snack plates, such as dried pasta picture frames or making a gingerbread house.

School-aged children are also more capable of understanding context and expectations. Caregivers can explain when food play is appropriate, how to respect shared meals, kitchen safety and hygiene, and reducing unnecessary waste. 

Importantly, children at this age who are still avoidant of touching or interacting with foods are not being difficult. They may genuinely experience sensory discomfort or anxiety around food, pressure or shame may increase food avoidance. 

What can food play look like for older kids and adolescents?

Sensory food play doesn’t end with childhood. Many older kids and teenagers can benefit from sensory feeding approaches too. For this age group, the focus shifts away from traditional food play toward building comfort through hands-on kitchen exposure, creative meals or activities, and more structured support when needed. 

One well-supported therapy for expanding food comfort in older kids and teens is an adapted version of the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) approach. Rather than the exploratory play model used in younger children, the adapted SOS approach meets adolescents at a higher stage of cognitive development, encouraging them to engage with food through knowledge and curiosity. This helps bypass some of the emotional pressure or discomfort that can surround eating. 

Depending on the child’s interests and development, this might look like:

• The Food Scientist Approach: Teens and older kids can be invited to explore as “researchers” rather than eaters. This involves noticing and naming the sounds, textures, temperatures, and smells of different foods, without any pressure to taste or ingest them. Framing exploration as investigation rather than a meal can remove a significant source of anxiety while supporting curiosity. 

• Cooking and Baking: Food preparation is one of the most natural ways to build food familiarity for older kids and teens. Baking a new dessert or helping prepare a meal gives young people agency over their environment, because they can decide what they touch and when. Progress here can be gradual too, from comfort in stirring a bowl to cracking an egg to chopping vegetables. 

• Sensory Desensitization: Just like younger children, gradual exposure can be helpful for older kids managing sensory sensitivities. Allowing sensory desensitization to happen at the child’s pace is key, and can be aided through natural activities like helping prepare meals or clean up afterwards. This might start with simply tolerating a new food on the table, then on the plate, then smelling or touching it before eventually tasting it. Each step is meaningful progress towards tasting the food on their own time.

When adapting food play to different ages, the most important principle is to meet children, youth, and even adults where they are. It is important to choose activities that feel developmentally appropriate, low pressure and led by their own curiosity. 

Who can support sensory food play therapeutically?

From infants to school-aged children, not all parents may feel prepared or ready to supervise or initiate sensory food play, and this is okay! Sensory food play is commonly incorporated into feeding therapy and child development services by professionals such as:

• Registered dietitians (RDs), especially pediatric or neurodivergent-focused dietitians
• Occupational therapists (OTs)
• Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) 
• In some cases, pediatric psychologists or behavioural therapists

These professionals may use sensory food play as part of broader feeding interventions to help children build comfort, confidence, and skills around eating. 

At Jackie Silver Nutrition, our team of dietitian nutritionists specializes in working with neurodivergent populations who commonly have sensory sensitivities or are selective eaters. We frequently work with parents to incorporate aspects of sensory food play in a positive way, with the goal of expanding food intake and reducing meal time stress. 

Book a 15 minute free discovery call if you believe our team can help you and your child get started with food play!

*We provide virtual nutrition counseling to anyone in Ontario (including Kingston, Ottawa, Kitchener/Waterloo, London, Windsor, and more), New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and US residents of certain states, including but not limited to New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Texas, and California. If your province or state is not listed here, please inquire to see if we can still support you.

How Can I Start Sensory Food Play at Home?

If you are interested in trying sensory food play, here are a few helpful tips:

• Start outside of mealtimes: this can help distinguish play from eating
• Use small amounts of food
• Expect and plan for some mess
• Follow your child’s lead 
• Model curiosity by touching, smelling, and describing foods while playing with your child
• With a verbal child, ask open-ended questions about what they’re doing:
  • “How does it feel?”
  • “Is it squishy or crunchy?”
  • “What does it smell like?”
  • “What colours/shapes do you see?”
• Avoid the pressure to taste or eat the food, as the goal is exploration and not consumption.

What are Common Myths About Sensory Food Play (and the Truth)?

Myth 1: If I do sensory food play, my kids won’t learn when it’s appropriate to play with food and when it’s not.

Truth: Just as children learn that running is appropriate at the playground but not in a crowded shopping mall, they can learn that food exploration happens during designated times and in a certain way. Consistent language can help reinforce these boundaries. Over time, children learn to adapt their behaviour based on the setting and expectations.

Myth 2: Sensory food play will ruin my kid’s table manners.

Truth: Manners are taught separately and develop through practice over time. Allowing a child to explore food through touch, smell, and play does not prevent them from learning polite mealtime behaviours. 

In fact, reducing pressure around food can make children feel more comfortable at the table. Table manners such as using utensils, staying seated, saying “please” and “thank you,” and chewing with their mouth closed are learned gradually through observation and gentle reminders. You can encourage exploration during sensory activities while still maintaining age-appropriate mealtime expectations.

Myth 3: Sensory food play will make every meal messy.

Truth: Sometimes mealtimes can get messy, but sensory play can be done in designated times and spaces separate from mealtime. 

Sensory activities do not need to happen at every meal. Consider setting up food play at a highchair tray, sensory bin, outdoor table, or kitchen floor with a washable mat underneath. Having a clear beginning and end to sensory play can help contain the mess. Keep wipes, towels, or a small broom nearby and involve children in clean-up as part of the activity. A little mess is often the trade-off for valuable learning and increased comfort around new foods.

Myth 4: Playing with food is disrespectful.

Truth: For children, playing and touching their food is a natural learning process as they explore the world for the first time, it is not misbehaviour. Young children learn about the world through their senses. 

Before they feel comfortable tasting a new food, they often need opportunities to look at it, touch it, smell it, or interact with it in other ways. What may appear to adults as “playing with food” is often a child gathering information and building familiarity. Rather than viewing food exploration as disrespectful, it can be helpful to see it as a developmental step that supports food acceptance and learning.

Myth 5: Mealtimes must always be formal.

Truth: Flexibility in the early years supports the development of long-term healthy habits. While family meals and routines are valuable, mealtimes do not have to be perfectly structured at all times. Young children benefit from opportunities to learn about food in ways that are engaging, playful, and developmentally appropriate. 

Singing about foods, creating shapes with fruits and vegetables, helping prepare meals, or exploring foods outside of mealtime can all support learning. A balanced approach that combines structure with flexibility can reduce stress and help children build positive relationships with food that last into adulthood.

Even if you grew up in a time where food play wasn’t accepted or was even punished, there is now research to support food play. Food play is a developmentally appropriate step to gaining an understanding of food and building a good relationship with food and our bodies. 

Addressing Common Concerns: What About Food Waste and Boundaries?

Food Waste

One common and completely valid concern around sensory food play is food waste, especially for families experiencing financial stress or food insecurity. Sensory food play does not need to involve large amounts of food, as small portions are often more than enough. 

Caregivers can help minimize food waste by:

• Using inexpensive foods like oats, dry rice, pasta, or potatoes 
• Using foods that are near expiring
• Repurpose leftovers from food play when safe to do so
• Start with non-food sensory play if food access is limited: this could look like playing with sand, grass, plants or small rocks
• Use tiny “sample-sized” amounts rather than full servings

Sensory food play should feel accessible, and not impose extra financial stress. Even brief exposure with small amounts of food can be beneficial.

Setting Boundaries

Supporting food exploration and play does not mean allowing unsafe, disrespectful or harmful behaviours. Children still need gentle, consistent boundaries around what is acceptable during food play and mealtimes.

For example, if a child begins to throw food at people or at the floor:

• Gentle throwing food at people or at the floor may be redirected with: “Food stays on the tray/table”
• Large throwing behaviours may signal that the child is finished, overstimulated, or seeking sensory input elsewhere.
• Caregivers can calmly end the activity if food is being used unsafely or the child is no longer responding to instructions.

Children are capable of learning that there are different expectations for mealtimes, sensory play activities, public settings, and home environments. Boundaries and sensory exploration can successfully coexist.

What are Easy Sensory Food Play Ideas?

Here are some easy sensory food play ideas that you can try at home. Remember that sensory food play is about interacting with different foods, and if some of the food gets eaten, that is a bonus!

• Finger painting with yogurt or pudding
• Building shapes or faces with cut fruit and vegetables
• Scooping dry rice, cereal, or pasta into different containers
• Squishing cooked potatoes or bananas
• Using cookie cutters with soft foods or fruits or veggies to make a variety of fun shapes
• Making “food art” on a plate
• Smelling herbs, spices, or citrus fruits
• Washing fruits and vegetables in water play
• Pretend cooking or serving food in play kitchens
• Planting a vegetable or herb garden

Conclusion

Sensory food play is more than just “playing with food,” it is a developmentally appropriate way for children to explore, learn, and build trust with food. Early playful interactions can become the foundation for confident and comfortable eating behaviours. Food play is about creating positive, low-pressure experiences that support curiosity, safety, and long-term relationships with food. 

TL;DR

• Sensory food play is a method that can help children explore food through touch, sight, smell, and play.
• It supports sensory development, food familiarity, fine motor skills, and positive food relationships.
• This approach to food exposure can be especially helpful for neurodivergent children, those with sensory sensitivities, and selective eaters.
• Food play does not mean that “anything goes” at meal times – boundaries and expectations still matter and can coexist with food play.
• Small amounts of food and low-cost options can reduce concerns around waste.
• The goal is to increase curiosity and comfort around food, not pressure to eat.

What types of sensory food play have you tried with your children? Let us know what worked or didn’t in the comments below!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Related articles:

• Reducing sensory overwhelm at meals
• Responsive feeding therapy
• What does a pediatric dietitian do?
• Fiber for picky eaters
• What is feeding therapy?
• Vegetables for picky eaters

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Crawford, B. (2023, June 26). Understanding barriers of eating unfamiliar fruits and vegetables in children using “Sensory Play”: a narrative review. International Journal of Food Science and Technology. https://academic.oup.com/ijfst/article/58/8/4075/7807044?login=false&guestAccessKey=

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