This mindfulness activity encourages the family to be aware of how their bodies feel before, during, and after eating.
Learning Area(s): Social and Emotional; Sensory and Art
MATERIALS
- a snack or meal for you and your child
- timer (optional)
LET'S PLAY
Introduce this activity to your child by saying, “Today we will be paying attention to how our bodies feel before, during, and after we eat our snack [or meal] and how the food tastes.”
Prepare the snack and place it in front of you and your child. “How does your body feel before we eat our food?” Wait for your child to respond. Then share with your child how you feel as well. Different examples of responses could be, “My stomach is rumbling” or “My stomach feels empty.” You can also ask, “How do you feel before you eat your snack?” Wait for your child to respond. Then share with your child how you feel as well. Different responses could be “I’m feeling hungry,” “I’m feeling cranky,” or “I’m feeling excited to eat” (especially if it’s a favorite food!).
“Now we will take a few minutes to eat our food quietly. When we eat, let’s think about how the food feels and tastes in our mouth when we chew and how our bodies feel after we’ve eaten a few bites.” You can choose to end the quiet time depending on your child’s attention span or set a 3-minute timer on your phone or other device to keep track of time.
When quiet time is over, you can ask your child several different questions about what they tasted and how they felt. Examples include:
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- “What did your food taste like?” Examples can include salty, sweet, bitter, sour, or even more than one flavor.
- “What did the food feel like in your mouth?” Discuss the temperature (e.g., hot, warm, room temperature, cold) or texture (e.g., soft, crunchy, smooth) of the food.
- “How does your body feel now that you’ve eaten a few bites?”
- “What feelings do you have now that you’ve had something to eat?”
After you finish your snack, ask your child again about how their body and food felt. Be sure that you are also sharing your thoughts and feelings with your child.
TIPS
- This activity provides an opportunity to eat a healthy snack or meal with your child. For ideas on healthy options, check out the Fruit and Veggie Toolkit for Kids from the American Heart Association.
- Sit down at the table and eat the snack with your child together. Turn off all screens (TV, tablet, phone) during this activity to have the most engagement from and with your child.
- For additional mindfulness activities, go to: