Does Playing With Food Help Picky Eaters? What the Research Says

Last week, inside my course Adventure Eating for Neurodivergent Kids, one of my students asked me:

💬 Do you recommend play for teaching kids to like new foods?

Such a freaking good question! We see this recommendation on social media all the time, right? - And brands market it, too: a bulldozer fork to engage picky kids with eating. A plate that looks like a game of Candyland with a treasure chest at the end.

But does play actually move the needle? Does playing with food really translate to eating?

Today, let's dive in!

Does play teach kids to like new foods?

If playing with food is leading to tasting—amazing! Keep going. That’s a great sign that play is working for that child.

But what if all that playful engagement isn’t actually translating to bites? What if your child is happily driving a broccoli “spaceship” around the plate, but never getting closer to eating it?

Free Strategies for Picky Eating and Autism

Here’s the thing: to learn to like a new food, a child actually has to eat it (Williams & Sieverling, 2024). Not a whole serving, not even a big bite—just a tiny amount, like the size of a pea MULTIPLE times. That’s the secret. Repeated exposure through tasting—not just seeing—is what leads to preference (Birch et al., 1987).

So, if food play isn’t resulting in actual bites, it’s time to step up the game (pun intended!). That doesn’t mean play is useless—we can absolutely keep it! But we need to shift expectations and gently shape behaviors that move a child closer to tasting.

Instead of just shoveling food across the plate or making a mashed potato volcano, we have to guide kids through the next steps that get them from exploring food to actually eating it.

This is exactly what I teach inside Adventure Eating for Neurodivergent Kids, my 6-week course that provides a step-by-step framework to gently guide kids from exploring new foods to confidently taking that first bite—and beyond.

If you’re ready to help kids move from just interacting with food to actually eating it, I’d love to support you inside Adventure Eating for Neurodivergent Kids!

Join the waitlist now to be the first to know next time enrollment opens. You’ll get early access, special bonuses (last time, my wait-listers got a 10% discount!!), and everything you need to confidently guide kids toward trying new foods.

Join the Waitlist!

References:

‌Birch, L. L., McPhee, L., Shoba, B. C., Pirok, E., & Steinberg, L. (1987). What kind of exposure reduces children's food neophobia? Looking vs. tasting. Appetite, 9(3), 171–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0195-6663(87)80011-9

Williams, K. E., & Seiverling, L. (2024). Broccoli Boot Camp. Future Horizons.

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