Food Activity for Kids – The Real Life Mr. Potato Head
This food activity for kids is a great way to expose children to fruits and veggies while constructing a real life Mr. Potato Head! This is a sensory-driven experience that is not only great for fine motor skills, but also a great opportunity to talk about facial features and expressions! Keep on reading to find out how easy this is to set up!
A Food Activity That Promotes Healthy Eating
Did you know that before the store-bought Mr. Potato even existed, it was very common for kids to make Mr. Potato Head at home using a potato and kitchen scraps? Yup! It’s a classic. There are so many reasons to love this activity, but one of the highlights is that it exposes kids to fruits and veggies that they may or may not already love. For those with picky eaters (like me!), exposure is critical and one of the ways to get kids comfortable with foods they may not love is through touching, exploration, and play.
Adapt This Food Activity for Kids
We definitely do not want to promote food waste, so this activity should be super adaptable. Take a few days to save up some food scraps – you know, the trimmings and bits and pieces that would otherwise end up in the trash bin! Got some blueberries that are getting too soft to eat? Use them! Eating some carrots, but don’t need the leafy ends? They can make great hair! And the list goes on and on!
Adapt This Food Activity for Kids
We definitely do not want to promote food waste, so this activity should be super adaptable. Take a few days to save up some food scraps – you know, the trimmings and bits and pieces that would otherwise end up in the trash bin! Got some blueberries that are getting too soft to eat? Use them! Eating some carrots, but don’t need the leafy ends? They can make great hair! And the list goes on and on!
Tips on How to Set Up This Food Activity for Kids
Once you have saved up enough food scraps, setting this up is so simple! I like to sort the pieces into a sectioned tray. Here’s a secret – chips and salsa trays make the best trays for invitations to play! This tray with removable sections is one of our favorites!
Other than food scraps and whole potatoes, make sure you have a bunch of toothpicks. If you are afraid of your little one poking themselves, just tap the toothpick down on the table or snip the ends to make sure they are dull!
Oh, and when finished with all that fun play, eat the potatoes! They’ll have enough holes in them that they will be sure to boil and soften quickly!
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Materials
- Big Potato
- Food Scraps
- Toothpicks
- Tray
- Big Potato
- Food Scraps
- Toothpicks
- Tray
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1
Grab a tray or plate and set up the food scraps, potato, and toothpicks.
Step 2
Invite your kiddo to create a face on the potato using the fruit and veggies and the toothpicks to hold the pieces in place. And use this opportunity to talk about the foods (textures, colors, smells) as well as facial features and expressions!
Step 1
Grab a tray or plate and set up the food scraps, potato, and toothpicks.
Step 2
Invite your kiddo to create a face on the potato using the fruit and veggies and the toothpicks to hold the pieces in place. And use this opportunity to talk about the foods (textures, colors, smells) as well as facial features and expressions!
Printable Bundle All About Fruits and Vegetables!
This printable bundle is all about fruits and vegetables! It is a fantastic way to extend this food activity for kids!
With over 20 pages of unique activities, it explores so many different early childhood education skills while exposing kids to a variety of healthy foods!
From scissor skills, to color matching, tracing and writing letters, counting, phonics, patterns, and the life cycle of an apple, these are just a few of the many unique opportunities to play and learn with all things fruits and veggies!
The Educational Benefits of The Real Mr. Potato Head
There are so many fun learning experiences that you can use with this food activity for kids! If you have a picky or selective eater, this is a great way to expose them to healthy fruits and vegetables that they may not be too keen on touching! Touching, smelling, and talking about the colors, these are all great first steps that can lead to licking, tasting, and even eating!
Beyond food exposure, this invitation to create is sensory-based and will help strengthen fine motor skills. Using those toothpicks to connect the facial features requires a lot of hand-eye coordination!
Plus, talk to them about the names of facial features and expressions. There are so many ways you can build Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head – make them happy, mad, scared, or excited!
If your kiddo loved this, you have to try our fun science experiment all about regrowing food scraps!
And don’t forget about our printable worksheets all about fruits and vegetables!
The Educational Benefits of The Real Mr. Potato Head
There are so many fun learning experiences that you can use with this food activity for kids! If you have a picky or selective eater, this is a great way to expose them to healthy fruits and vegetables that they may not be too keen on touching! Touching, smelling, and talking about the colors, these are all great first steps that can lead to licking, tasting, and even eating!
Beyond food exposure, this invitation to create is sensory-based and will help strengthen fine motor skills. Using those toothpicks to connect the facial features requires a lot of hand-eye coordination!
Plus, talk to them about the names of facial features and expressions. There are so many ways you can build Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head – make them happy, mad, scared, or excited!
If your kiddo loved this, you have to try our fun science experiment all about regrowing food scraps!
More Food Activities for Kids!
Here are my top picks for fun ways kids can explore all things food!
Play Kitchen
This wooden play kitchen is adorable and has every feature a kid needs – oven, stove, microwave, sink, and storage!
Slicable Play Food
This set of wooden food is connected magnetically. Learn about lots of different types of foods and use the toy knife to slice and strengthen fine motor skills!
Picky Eater Plate
This plate is so great for picky or selective eaters. Make a game out of trying new foods! It rotates one way, taste or eat what’s in the spot before moving on to the next!
Cooking and Baking Set
This fun set comes with everything you need to inspire your little chef! It has baking gear as well as food prep items like a knife set and cutting board!
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