When it comes to Easter and tasting, chocolate is the overwhelming favorite, but other flavors make Easter a treat for the sense of taste. Exploring the senses promotes brain development, early learning, and kindergarten readiness. Here’s a fun sense of taste Easter activity, using a little chocolate and fruit.
There’s often a container of yogurt in the fridge, and using a potato peeler, I shaved a little bit of chocolate from a small Easter egg into a small bit of yogurt. Little Sister helped me stir it up and use the big, round apple cutter to make some apple slices. We sliced some banana too. She doesn’t like oranges, but orange sections has also yummy, as well as other fruits. The yogurt-chocolate combination makes a tasty dip for fruit!
The brain connections that kids make when they are young help them later on. Some of these form even before children are born. Did you know that babies can “taste” before they are born? Apparently, when it comes time for solid foods, kids prefer familiar foods to unfamiliar ones, and they do not like strong flavors. Getting kids just to try something they haven’t had before can be quite a challenge. Parents have a variety of strategies, some more successful than others.
Foods and tasting can be used for other learning, too. There’s lots of new words, language skills such as explaining and negotiating, colors of foods, smells, and textures. While tummies are hungry for food, brains are hungry for connections. Easter can be a special time for the sense of taste. As families celebrate, there will be traditional favorites as well as new dishes to try. What will your child have for taste experiences?
