Make a fun fruit snack together. Cut up fruit (bananas, kiwi, strawberries) and have him help you put the fruit on skewers to make fruit kabobs. Discuss patterns and colors of the fruit while making the kabobs. Be sure to supervise carefully when using anything sharp with your child like skewers.
This activity will help your child be more confident, follow directions, express his ideas, expand his vocabulary, use mathematical thinking in daily activities, and develop small motor skills.
Include finger foods with your meals. Pass your child the food and allow him to take his own serving. Ask him to take a specific amount by saying, “Can you take three carrots?”
This activity will help your child relate to you by allowing him to please you. It will also help him learn to follow simple directions, use mathematical thinking to solve real problems, show interest in quantity and number relationships, and feel more grown up as he does things for himself.
Encourage your child to eat more fruits and vegetables by offering dips with them. Dipping food makes it more fun to eat. Some possibilities for dips are yogurt, cottage cheese, and cream cheese. Have a variety of fruits or vegetables and dips, so he can choose his favorites. Ask him to explore the foods and to feed himself.
This activity will help your child learn to relate his wants to you and seek information through exploration. It will also help him feel more grown up by allowing him to feed himself.