I love snack time. Yes, because I love to snack, but more so because I love watching little kids munch on their snacks, make a mess, and try to practice table manners.
Teaching table manners is important, but today I want to talk about ways to incorporate cognitive learning into this enjoyable time.
I think about lunch time with one my co-workers in the school where I taught Kindergarten. She was so intentional during this time – even though the school rule was that the lunch room was a “quiet zone.” She still found a way to teach them about the shapes that their food resembled, the sounds their food started with, and how many tater tots they had on their plate.
There are so many skills you can teach when you put your mind to it. But the great thing about snack time at home is that there aren’t necessarily time restrictions you have to follow or mandated food choices; you can “design” snack time to fit your personal preference and “lesson plan”.
Not that you want your children to play with their food, but you want them to make learning connections in everything they do. You want them to realize “Mom! My cracker looks like a square!” And to respond, “Great discovery! Oooh, I wonder what shape it would be if you break it in half?”
Here are some other ideas:
Counting – how many goldfish are there?
More or less – how many more goldfish do you have than pieces of fruit?
Adding on- how many goldfish will you have if I give you 3 more?
Shapes – how many triangle shaped crackers make a square?
Sound discovery – what sound do you hear in the word /g//g//g/ goldfish?
Patterns- how can we make a pattern out of our cheese and crackers?
Casey chose deli meat and cheese for a mini lesson on patterns during her son’s snack time.
These are just a few ways to teach in your child’s daily routine!
If you have pictures or other ways that you incorporate learning into your child’s snack time, please share with other Mommy Teachers by clicking on the link below!
