Game 2: Random Food Tasting
What you need to play
- A blindfold (can be a band, scarf, or sleep mask)
- 3 or more types of food from the same category (e.g., types of banana, apple, cheese, etc.)
- Small plates to arrange the food
- Pencil and paper
- An environment without strong smells
Objective
Encourage the child to discover new textures, aromas, and flavors, helping them perceive what they like most within the same food category — all while blindfolded. The game also helps develop sensory vocabulary and the pleasure of experimentation.
Rules
- The child must be blindfolded throughout the tasting.
- The parent offers one food at a time and guides the experience with questions:
- "What does it smell like?"
- "Is it more sweet or sour?"
- "Does it make your mouth water or feel dry?" ("fica amarrada" is tricky, maybe "puckery" or "astringent"? "feel dry" is simpler)
- "Is it tasty or strange?"
- With each bite, the child makes a happy or sad face and marks their preference on paper.
- At the end of the tasting, reveal what the foods were and ask them to create a ranking of their favorites.
- You can repeat this experience with:
- Types of banana (nanica, prata, maçã - using Portuguese names for fidelity)
- Types of cheese (muçarela, prato, minas - using Portuguese names for fidelity)
- Brands of small bread rolls (bisnaguinha)
- Chocolate powders (Toddy, Nescau, Nesquik - using brand names for fidelity)
- Different types of bread, juice, fermented milk…
- Once even with different brands of sardines, which wasn't very successful with my youngest daughter
Important: Don't insist that the child try something they refuse. The focus is on the pleasure of discovery, it shouldn't be a punishment.