Daily Routines: Meal AND SNACK TIME

WE MAKE IT EASY FOR PARENTS TO IDENTIFY TEACHABLE MOMENTS FOR COMMUNICATION AND LIFE SKILLS.

 

Welcome to ETP’s daily routine series! How do we add play or language into the mix when it feels like “another thing to do”? Whether it’s time, motivation, or just not knowing where to start, we want to help you troubleshoot!

Grab your notebook and join us every Monday as we share a parent-tip blog post. We’re excited to show you exactly how you can utilize your daily routines (something you already do) to expand your child’s language skills. 

This is part three of our daily routine series: meal and snack time!

Don’t call your kids to the kitchen when it’s time to eat. Call them when it’s time to start cooking.

Gabrielle Blair

HOW TO USE MEAL TIME TO SUPPORT LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

10 STRATEGIES to communicate and connect with your toddler

We often use mealtime to communicate and connect with our loved ones. We can help build our children’s foundational language skills during snack or meal time with these quick and easy strategies.

  1. PREPARE A SNACK OR MEAL TOGETHER

    Think about a toddler friendly snack or meal that your child can help with. No bake recipes can be great for this. Keep it simple: put fruit and crackers on a plate, make a PB&J sandwich, create “ants on a log”, bake muffins or cupcakes, build kabobs, etc. 

    If your toddler is younger, consider even just having your toddler put their snack on the plate, spread peanut butter on a cracker, help peel a banana, etc. This doesn’t need to be a full on recipe unless you want it to be. Add in language focusing on actions and concepts that will surely occur naturally in this task. 

    If your toddler is older, try discussing what ingredients you will need. If possible, show a picture or example of the completed snack/meal to help them. 

    The (snack) goes on the plate or in the bowl. 

    Peel the banana or orange. Let’s cut the banana. Eat a slice.

    We need a plate and…hmmm, I wonder what else?

  2. CHOICES

    Give as many choices as you are comfortable with. Also consider what is appropriate for your child's age and skill level. For younger toddlers, it can be helpful to show them the real items (pairing a visual with the verbal word and/or simple sign helps connect the meaning). We communicate with others using more than just words- so remember to provide all of this information to help your child understand and communicate more effectively.  Accept non-verbal communication such as pointing. Model the language expectation for your child. There is no need to pressure them for a verbal response.

    “You can have pancakes or cereal.” 

    Apple or Orange? 

    We have cheese or yogurt for a snack. Good choice, I like yogurt too.

  3. ENCOURAGE THEM TO COMMUNICATE

    Hand them a snack in a container (one that you know they can’t open) or place their drink just out of reach; Wait and see how they communicate with you. Don’t let it get to the point of frustration. Guide them through what needs to be communicated. Model the language in a positive way. Don’t necessarily expect them to imitate you at first, especially if this is something new you are trying and they don’t have many words yet. 

      Help. Help me open. I need help. Let’s open your snack.

    Drink. (or be specific and say Milk or Juice) I’m thirsty. I want my juice.

  4. SET THE TABLE

    Let your little one help set the table. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It could be as simple as having them place napkins on the table for each person. As they demonstrate understanding of the task and are successful, you can add more elements like putting out a spoon or plate too. This is allowing your child to learn vocabulary words and follow directions during a functional everyday task. This can result in better navigation and communication in our immediate environment! 

    For older toddlers, as you're setting the table, discuss what each item is used for. 

    Let’s put two napkins on the table. One for me and one for you. 

    Next we need to get plates. We put food on our plates.

    We need a knife to cut our sandwich in half.

  5. SEQUENCE

    Walk them through the process. Incorporate using first, then, next, and last. 

    “First, we need to get the bread. Then, we need to open the peanut butter.”

  6. BE SILLY

    Did you “forget something?!” 😉. Hand them a cup with no water. Do they need a spoon? Forget to give it to them or maybe replace it with another object. Let the silliness ensue. Have fun with it. See what they’ll communicate with you! Remember to accept verbal and nonverbal attempts. So if they look in the cup and throw it – I know this isn’t an ideal reaction, but go with it. You’ll help lead them on what to do when things go unexpectedly. 

    Uh-oh NO water. Oops! Water. I need water!

    Let’s pour the water in. Here we go! The cup is full.

    Oops! That’s NOT a spoon. It’s a straw. That’s so silly. We need a spoon!. 

  7. DESCRIBE

    This is a quick one that can be useful on those morning that feel rushed. Describe a food or drink that is on your plate or your toddler’s plate. Depending on their age, it might sound like commenting aloud or maybe your toddler joins in too. You can ask questions, but if your little one does not respond well to the pressure of questions then stick with commenting. Talk about the different ingredients. Describe how they look, taste, and feel. 

    The apple is crunchy and red.

    My pancake feels soft. The syrup is sticky.

    The blueberry muffin tastes sweet.

    Is your oatmeal hard or soft?

    “The strawberries are red and have tiny seeds on them.” “They taste sweet.”

  8. CATEGORIES

    Here are two ways to work on categories using relevant items during a snack or meal. 

    • For a younger toddler, talk about categories with zero expectation for them to participate. 

    • For older toddlers, try to see if you can think of maybe 3-5 items in a category. Do this together rather than having the pressure only on your child. 

    Blueberries! Blueberries are a fruit. 

    We both have strawberries on our plate! Strawberries are a fruit. I wonder if we can think of 3 more fruits. Hmmm…apples are fruit. Yes, an orange is too!

  9. CLEAN UP

    There’s power in using everyday chores to build communication skills! We know it’s easier (and much faster) if we do it, but get your child involved with your supervision.

    Let’s put our plates in the sink. (You model and they follow, maybe with guidance.)

    I need to wipe the table. Here’s a towel. Let’s do it together.

  10. CHECK IN

    While you’re enjoying the meal/snack, comment and/or ask questions to your child. Have a conversation.

    I had fun making this with you.

    This tastes delicious.

    Did you like making the snack?

    How does it taste?

Vocabulary & Concepts

Cooking and preparing foods often present a variety of new vocabulary for our children to encounter. The foundational language that we use in daily routines often carry over into other daily interactions as well as early academic skills.

VOCABULARY TO USE WHILE MAKING A MEAL OR SNACK:

Here’s a vocabulary list to get you started. Add any others that may be unique to your family or child. 

  • Nouns: specific snack/meal time foods; plate, bowl, fork, spoon, knife, napkin, cup, table, chair, oven, stove, microwave, spatula, whisk, blender, toaster

  • Verbs: sit, pour, wipe, eat, drink, chew, bite, taste, smell, open/close, help, cut/slice, put on, set the table, put in, mix, stir, spill, flip

  • Descriptors: cold/hot, yummy, delicious, soft/crunchy, sweet/sour/salty, colors, hard/soft, sticky, shapes

BASIC CONCEPTS TO USE WHILE GETTING DRESSED:

Basic concepts are the words that children need to understand in order to participate in everyday tasks, follow directions, and to engage in conversation. Below are 10 basic concepts and examples of how to incorporate them while making a snack or meal. 

Use our complete basic concept checklist in the Play by Play to keep track of the concepts your child has mastered + the concepts you’ll introduce to them next!

  1. IN/OUT: taking utensils in/out of a drawer, pouring things in, taking food items in/out of cabinets/pantry/refrigerator

  2. UP/DOWN: picking your child up to place them into highchair/seat; “down” to get down out of the chair

  3.  ON/OFF: turning any kitchen appliance on/off; lights on/off in the kitchen/dining room; putting items on the table and taking them off

  4. OPEN/CLOSE: opening or closing a door, cabinet, drawer, refrigerator, etc.; opening or closing a food item or container 

  5. BIG/LITTLE: compare sizes of utensils, plates, bowls, food items 

  6. COLORS: talk about the colors of the food items, utensils/plates

  7. CLEAN/DIRTY: describe hands, face, or table — let’s wipe it clean!

  8. A LOT/ A LITTLE: describe how much of an item you have — a lot of crackers, a little bit of water

  9. TOP/MIDDLE/BOTTOM: getting items from the top/middle/bottom shelf, drawer, or cabinet

  10. FIRST/LAST: use when sequencing steps while making a snack or meal

GET A GAME PLAN

We love helping parents find a simple framework they can follow to make using language in their home easy and productive without too much fuss. Try using what we call the 2-1-1! You're going to choose 2 concepts, 1 vocabulary word or power word, and 1 strategy for the week. 

2 Concepts + 1 Target Word + 1 Strategy

HERE’S WHAT THIS COULD LOOK LIKE:

2 Concepts: clean and dirty

  • Take inventory of what toys you can use for these concepts. For example, use toy cars and have a car wash. 

  • Consider your daily routine. Model the words “clean” and “dirty” when using dishes/utensils for making a snack or meal.

1 Power Word: all done

Model this verbally and/or with a gesture/sign when it’s relevant. Is your child finished with their snack or meal? Say the words “all done”. (Optional: add your gesture or sign.)This one is particularly helpful to implement if your child is young and tends to throw food on the ground to indicate they’re done or don’t want it anymore.

1 Strategy: Sequence the steps for making a PB&J using the words first, then, next, last. 


Let’s pull it all together. This week, you’re going to focus on the concept pair “clean and dirty” and the target phrase “all done”. You’re also going to focus on your child’s ability to sequence things in order. Tomorrow, start with one or all of these and incorporate them during snack or meal time.

As you practice, you’ll learn to recognize more moments these concepts and words naturally occur. You’ll find yourself using them whenever appropriate — Not just for meal or snack time!

If you love this strategy, then the Play By Play is for you. If you think there’s another strategy out there that might be a better fit for you and your family, then the Play By Play is for you.

There’s an entire section devoted to helping you get strategic with play. It’s the “at home”, quick bits of information we provide in therapy sessions. As you learn our top 10 tips, you’ll find a right-for-you way to promote your child’s understanding and use of early language skills.

Our favorite part is that these strategies can be used any where, at any time, and with any toy or daily routine!

IF YOU NEED A NEW WAY TO PLAY

You're not crazy! You're just not for sure where to start or what to do next. Get our 3 section E-BOOK packed with the prompts and guidelines you need to increase your child’s language skills and get excited about play again.

Tell us: Share with us what you try! What meal or snack did you make? What language did you add in? Comment below or tag us @elevate.toddler.play so we can cheer you on!

P.S. Looking for quick, doable strategies to increase your child’s language and life skills? Check out our brand new Play Day Challenge and learn 7 ways to make it happen!

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SOURCE:

Cheslock, M., & Kahn, S. (2011). Supporting families and caregivers in everyday routines. The ASHA Leader. https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.ftr1.16112011.10

Daily RoutinesBrooke WiegandComment