A FUN WAY TO HELP KIDS LOVE FOOD! Food Play by Edie Hines, SLP.
Does your child struggle with eating?
Food play is a fun, interactive program that helps children feel more comfortable with new foods. Whether your child is a picky eater, has feeding challenges, or simply needs to expand his or her diet, Food Play can help!
We are excited to present “Food Play,” a program created by Edie Hines, pediatric feeding specialist with over 21 years of experience in outpatient and school settings, specializing in medically complex children with feeding challenges, including dysphagia. Food Play is a stress-free, playful, and evidence-based program designed to encourage children to explore and try new foods. By immersing children in sensory activities with peers, they learn to touch, smell, and interact with foods in a non-threatening way. This approach has shown incredible success in reducing anxiety and building comfort around food. In addition, many of our social interactions as adults involve food or eating. Food Play is a way to incorporate social language as well as vocabulary from favorite children’s books into each session.
What happens in Food Play?
- fun activities using favorite children’s books
- a safe, no pressure environment to explore foods
- kids learn to touch, smell, and interact with new foods
- encouragement through play with peers
Why it works:
- reduces fear and anxiety about trying new foods
- helps kids build trust with caregivers and gain confidence
- engages all senses to make mealtime exciting
Who can join?
- children of all abilities — picky eaters, problem eaters, or those with sensory challenges
- children with ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) or PFD (Pediatric Feeding Disorder)
- anyone looking to make food fun
SIGN UP TODAY: foodplay@thetherapyplace.org