Food is such an important part of our daily routines, and it’s a great way of bringing families together.
But how can you begin explaining to your child how their food makes the journey from plant to plate?
In the film below, Katy Spiers from Redcatch Community Garden in Bristol offers advice for supporting your child's learning about food from plants.
Talk through food prep
Try talking about what you're doing while preparing or cooking food. It doesn't need to be complicated, you could simply describe how you're making a sandwich and what you're putting in it.
What are they interested in? Are they watching you cutting up or mashing food? Talking about the things they're focused on means they're more likely to listen and engage with your words.
Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty
Getting your little one’s attention can sometimes be half the battle when it comes to learning something new.
Engaging their senses by touching, feeling and smelling plants and new foods can help to spark their interest.
Encourage them to feel the textures of fruit and vegetables or smell fresh herbs before tasting them.
You can even begin explaining where in the world different foods come from – it can be exciting to think about food from all over the world being on our dinner plates, as well as the foods that grow closer to home, like apples.
Connect to the familiar
Some children might be a bit wary of interacting with new things and feel unsure whether they will like something unfamiliar.
Connecting a new food or plant to something they know can make it feel less abstract and scary in their minds.
You could try showing how corn can become popcorn, or even how vegetables can be used in their favourite puddings and cakes.
- Check out our fussy eating advice.
Plants are not just for eating
When your child is curious about other household items, it can be a great opportunity to discuss where things come from.
Did you know the loofa in your shower can come from a part of a plant?
Looking around your home, you’ll be able to spot tons of items you use every day that have roots in nature.
By emphasising that plants are all around us, you can help children understand that lots of things they see in their everyday life are grown in a garden, field or farm.
