Talking food

When caregivers share mealtimes with young children, talk about the food, ask thought-provoking questions, and have conversations, they are encouraging language development.

Conversation starters

• What colors do you see?
  
• Where do you think the food came from?
  
• What is your favorite snack?
  
• Who is sitting by you at snack today?
  
• What foods do you like to eat at home?
  
• If you are feeding an infant, label and describe, such as, "You are holding your white bottle."
  
• If you are eating with older children, encourage thinking and use new vocabulary, such as, "What ingredients do you think are in this recipe?"

More talking

Talking about the food is fun, but snack and mealtime are also a great time to talk about children's families, friends, and ideas. Try starting conversations by asking questions: "I saw you and Sara building with blocks. What were you two working on?" or "Yesterday you played in the sandbox. What do you plan to try outside today, Ben?"

Funny sounds and talking food

Along with using conversation starters, try to encourage the food to "talk" as well as inspire discussion that is sparked by food ideas. Just what is your animal cracker saying?

Rhyming fruit salad

This recipe is not intended for infants and young toddlers.

What you need:

• Various fruit, washed, peeled, and cut into bite-size pieces (1/2 cup per child)

Make simple fruit salads with bananas, berries, and grapes. Children can add rhyming sounds for each fruit (Grape, ape; berry, hairy, dairy). Young children may need help getting started. The rhyme doesn't need to be a real word, just a rhyming sound (banana,fanana). By rhyming, children identify sounds and patterns in words. Take turns saying each other's rhymes. Remember to eat all your rhymes!

Counting crackers

This recipe is not intended for infants and young toddlers.

What you need:

• Whole grain crackers (about 4 crackers per child)
• Dried fruit such as raisins, cranberries (about 5-10
• pieces per child)
• Spread of choice (fruit jam, peanut butter, cheese) (about 4 tablespoons per child)
• Plastic spoons or knives

Have children count out four crackers each and also about 5-10 pieces of dried fruit. Offer spread of choice and encourage children to use a plastic spoon or knife to spread the topping onto their crackers. When crackers are spread, have children see how many dried fruit pieces their cracker can pick up by pushing the spread side of the cracker onto the dried fruit. Encourage children to count how many pieces their cracker picked up. After counting, eat and count some more!

Popping popcorn - popping names

This recipe is not intended for infants and young toddlers.

What you need:

• Popcorn (microwave popcorn or pan popping corn; follow directions on popcorn package) about ½ cup per child
• Optional - popcorn toppings (salt, butter, cinnamon, cheese)

What you do:

Make popcorn with children so they can hear the sound of the popcorn (record it if possible). Talk about how the pop sounds start (at first there is no popping, then one or two pops, a few more, and then many pops). Try clapping to the rhythm of the popcorn popping. After making the popcorn, try "pop- clapping" the children's names; clapping out the sounds of children's names. For example, Sarah would have 2 claps; Sar - ah . Then proceed to pop-clap the name like the popcorn is popped; slow, then faster and faster. Take breaks in between "clap-popping" names and eat some popcorn!

Dietary cautions

• Be aware of choking risks and food allergies when preparing and serving meals and snacks. Think about the size, shape, and consistency when choosing foods due to the potential choking risks in children. Food cut in large chunks, small hard foods, and soft and sticky foods should be avoided. The top choking hazards for children include: hotdogs, meats, sausages, fish with bones, spoonfuls of peanut butter, popcorn, chips, pretzel nuggets, raisins, whole grapes, raw carrots, fruits and vegetables with skins, and marshmallows. Be sure that food is cut in small pieces (no larger than ½ inch), grated, or finely chopped. Be sure that children are closely supervised when they are eating.

• Do not give honey to children under 12 months of age. Honey contains spores that can cause infant botulism.

• Many children have food allergies or sensitivities to food. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 90% of children's food allergies are from milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (pecan/walnuts), fish, shellfish, strawberries, soy, wheat, and gluten. Carefully read food labels for potential risks and be sure to ask the parents if children have a known allergy or sensitivity.

• Dental health is a growing concern with young children, so it is important to keep in mind that starchy, sticky, and sugary foods can cause tooth decay. Children should brush their teeth after any meal or snack, but particularly when you serve these foods.

Lunches & Snacks 10-6

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