Sensory play is a fun way for children to explore and learn about the world around them. The focus is on increasing exposure to foods and not eating.

What is food exposure and sensory play and why might they be useful?

Children can learn through play. It helps them to develop and acquire new skills. Food exposure and sensory play includes any activity that stimulates your child's senses (touch, smell, taste, sight and hearing).

Some children have an aversion to certain foods and textures. They may find it very difficult to be near to or touch certain foods or textures. This means they are highly unlikely to try and taste these foods. It can significantly impact family life if a child can't be around foods; eating out & holidays can feel impossible.

Food exposure and sensory play allows them to explore these foods and textures in a safe, non-threatening way. They are not being asked to eat the foods, just to develop a tolerance and acceptance of them through exposure or play. By desensitising them this way, they will hopefully be more open to tasting and trying new foods in the future. Even if they won't taste a new food, they may be more comfortable being around these foods and seeing others eat them. This can be just as important and improve family life. Imagine being able to eat out for the first time, as your child can tolerate being around new foods!

How to do food exposure and sensory play with your child

  • It is important to be involved in this with your child, as long as you can be relaxed and confident with any mess. You can also involve others including siblings, friends, grandparents, nursery, school etc
  • It must be an enjoyable and fun experience for the child with no pressure
  • Don't do Sensory Play at mealtimes; we don't want to put them off eating and the focus is on exposure and NOT eating
  • Be enthusiastic even if your child is initially reluctant. Your facial expressions are very important (try to be calm and positive)
  • If they don't want to touch the food items with their fingers let them use a spoon, fork or toy; they can progress to hands as their confidence grows
  • Don't be too quick to clean your child or comment on any mess. Messy play is supposed to be a messy activity. Teach them to wipe themselves so they feel in control
  • Never force your child to be involved or show disappointment.

Food exposure

For some children, messy play will be too challenging for them. In this situation work on less obvious, very gentle food exposure. We don't want to add to their anxiety around food or add any pressure to try new foods. Work on exposing them to new foods in day-to-day situations, such as:

  • Helping with food shopping, putting foods in the trolley, bagging up fruit and vegetables for you etc. Reassure them that these are for your meals, not theirs. (We do recognise that some children find supermarkets very overwhelming so avoid if this is the case)
  • Helping unpack shopping at home and put foods away
  • Helping with meal preparation (reassuring them they won't be asked to eat those foods, if it is not for them).
    • Passing you foods from the fridge, cupboard etc
    • Helping chop foods
    • Stirring or adding foods
    • Helping serve up
  • Scraping plates at the end of a meal
  • Growing foods in the garden and picking these.

Anything that gets your child interacting with food at a level they can tolerate is the perfect place to start. The most important aspect is to ensure we are not adding any pressure around foods and increasing their anxiety!

It can take a lot of time and persistence to get a child to start to interact with new foods. Giving lots of regular opportunities and making it a part of their routine is important.

It can help to make this into a game. For example, you give them a shopping list (words or pictures) and ask your child to go round the kitchen and pick them all out.

There is no right or wrong way to start food exposure and every child is different.  The key aspect is not to increase their anxiety or stress around foods.

Sensory play

Being messy can be great fun - enjoy the chance to share this with your child

Words to use during play

Aim to use positive, descriptive language. For example, describe the colour, texture, shape and temperature of the items; describe any toys you are using. Avoid any negative comments or descriptions.

Action words: Find, look, dig, lift, scoop, squash, smell

Descriptive words: Hard, soft, smooth, wet, cold, squidgy, yummy, dry

Sounds: brmmm, plop, shhhh, splat

For older children you can discuss why we need different foods e.g. protein foods such as meat, fish, eggs make us strong.  Fruit and vegetables give us vitamins. Dairy foods provide calcium to make our bones strong. It can help if your child understands why we are trying to increase the range of their diet and why our body needs different foods!

Expanding a child's diet through sensory play

  • Children need to learn about food in a non-threatening way
  • Children may require a great deal of exposure to a food before they will consider tasting it
  • When there is no expectation to eat or taste a food the child becomes more confident with a greater willingness to explore
  • Children are more likely to eat new foods that they have seen or interacted with many times
  • Build your child's interest and involvement by encouraging them to help with food shopping, preparation and cooking.

Different types of sensory play

Dry Play               

E.g. dry pasta or rice, lentils, popcorn and breakfast cereals

Soft Play

E.g. cooked pasta or rice, jelly, play dough, bread dough

Soft, Wet & Messy Play

E.g. cornflour with water, tinned tomatoes, baked

beans, mashed potato, custard, instant whip, ice water
 

Dry play

Dry pasta / rice / oats / cereal / beans and pulses

Place foods in a tray, box or bowl. Have a variety of smaller containers or pots available as well as some spoons, stirrers, diggers, tractors or other toys.

Children may enjoy pretending to cook, stirring and mixing. They can listen to the sounds the items make when they are dropped, crushed, and stirred.

Pasta shapes and cereal (such as Cheerios) can be threaded onto pipe cleaners or strawberry lace style sweets.

Edible sand play

Place polenta, semolina, tapioca or corn grits (they look like sand but are edible) in a tray with containers for pouring as well as buckets, spades, rakes, spoons etc.

Hide small objects for the children to find e.g. mini beasts, dinosaurs, shells or treasure.

Adding jelly or coloured custard for the sea can add a new texture to this play.

Soft play

Homemade edible play dough

Recipe:

  • 6 large marshmallows
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • Optional: food colouring, edible glitter, rice, sand, lavender, cocoa powder, food flavouring, spices

Microwave the marshmallows and oil for about 10 seconds until soft. Stir in the cornstarch and knead until it forms a smooth dough. If it's too sticky, add a little more cornstarch.

There are lots of different edible playdough recipes online so you could try one using flavours/foods your child already likes.

Provide different utensils for children to use such as cutters, rollers, cake cases, dried pasta, shells, buttons and feathers.

Ice play

Make ice cubes with small items frozen inside. Use coloured and scented water and maybe add some edible glitter.  Freeze water in different shaped containers e.g. a sandcastle bucket, balloons, rubber gloves, a washing up bowl (makes a great ice rink for small people and animal toys).

Cooked pasta/spaghetti

Cook the pasta, drain and then toss the pasta in a couple of teaspoons of oil to stop it sticking together. Lay out in a shallow tray or box and once cool hide different (washable) objects in it for the children to find. Provide tongs, serving spoons as well as encouraging touch with fingers.

Soft, wet and messy play

Cornflour gloop

Slowly mix small amounts of water into several large spoons of cornflour until it reaches a paste. There is no need to heat the mixture. Edible glitter or food colouring can be added.

Custard powder can be used as an alternative to cornflour.

Other ideas

  • Pizza kitchen with tinned tomatoes, bread dough and some vegetable pieces
  • A dinosaur stomping ground with tinned peas or jelly and Weetabix
  • Jelly shapes to play with
  • A car wash with squirty cream for soap
  • A building site with mini Weetabix bricks and instant whip cement
  • Make pictures with honey and stick on other food items as decoration, paint with foods e.g. chocolate spread, jam, marmite.

More information

When using food for Sensory Play, use the value ranges or anything on special offer. This food is going to be played with, explored and then much of it will be thrown away. The goal is to encourage exposure to food not to ask your child to eat the food.

Make sure the foods you play with taste nice together in case your child does decide to try them, for example mashed potato and ketchup, jelly and custard, banana and instant whip.

Our occupational therapy colleagues at Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust have created a range of fantastic sensory themed videos that might be useful to you. Visit: https://www.sussexcommunity.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/resources/patient-resources/sensory-videos 

We have created a webpage with information on fussy and complex feeding. Visit: Fussy eating and complex feeding information for children | First Community Health & Care

Your own messy play ideas

Keep a note here of any other sensory play or food exposure ideas you have:

 

 

With thanks to the Sussex Sensory Explorers Group for sharing their ideas and Sussex Community NHS Trust Occupational Therapy department for sharing their videos.

First Community provides front-line NHS community healthcare services in east Surrey and parts of West Sussex.

We provide first-rate care, through our first-rate people, offering first-rate value. For more information visit:    www.firstcommunityhealthcare.co.uk

If you would like this information in another format, for example large print or easy read, or if you need help communicating with us, please contact:

First Community (Head Office)

Call: 01737 775450 Email:    fchc.enquiries@nhs.net    Text: 07814 639034

Address: First Community Health and Care, Caterham Dene Hospital, Church Road, Caterham, Surrey, CR3 5RA.

For office use only: PFD_TS026 Sensory and Messy Play v5  Publication date: August 2025