Making food choices
Providing children with a variety of food options during meal times encourages them to expand their food preferences and learn new food-related vocabulary. Moreover, mealtimes can be used as an educational opportunity to introduce kids to different words that describe the flavours and textures of food, which can further improve their language skills.
Here are some helpful tips:
- Name different foods in the target language as you present them to your toddler. Make use of descriptive words.
- Introduce children to various words that describe different tastes and textures of food.
- Design a visual menu with pictures of food items labelled in the target language. Allow your toddler to point to or choose items from the menu.
- Involve your toddler in simple cooking activities. While preparing meals, use language to discuss ingredients and the steps involved.
- Sing songs or rhymes about food during meal preparation.
Offering children a range of food options during meal times can be a beneficial strategy for introducing them to new foods and expanding their knowledge of food-related vocabulary.
