Whether you laminate this printable for direct food exploration, or use a visual prompt, this farm food play activity is bound to lead to fun!
The Set-up
If you have a music lover, of course pair with Old MacDonald. Change the tune to “with hay over there” and “mud over there” model how you explore the farm materials!
For kids that are used to certain gestalts, play the song directly or pair it with a video if you feel comfortable doing so. Another great way to complete this activity is with small farm animal toys and containers to hold the food you plan to explore.
Food Materials
Next up, choosing the farm food materials. For the hay, you can use potato sticks, veggie sticks, pasta, spaghetti noodles, french fries, etc.
And for the mud, I used chocolate pudding. Great alternatives: peanut butter/ almond butter, brown rice, wheat bread, or even brownie mix! Yum. Brownies sound delicious!
Pro-Tip: Start Small. Use small amounts of wet foods, or even place in the small baggie. That way your child doesn’t have to start off touching the food directly. You can even use a fork as a pretend – garden pitchfork!
As always, be sure model ways to play with the different textures. Don’t forget to model ways to clean-up/ get it off your fingers. Use hand under hand and not hand over hand. Let them take their time with trying something new.
Finally, let me know if you have any questions. The printable version is down below. Check out options in full color, and an option where food exploration areas are not completely filled in!
Dr. Diamond | A Dime of OT
