Food is an extension of toys (Feed the schema)

Feeding the Schema

What are Schemas?
Schemas are patterns of repeatable behaviour which can often be noticed in young children's play. By exploring and practising their schemas, children become more knowledgeable about the world around them. Schemas are part of children’s motivation for learning and are a direct reflection of children’s interests and lead to children engaging in and exploring concepts associated with them.

How are schemas useful?
Understanding schemas are useful for helping to understand a child’s motivation for doing something, and that includes eating. Identifying the schema allows you to extend their learning by matching learning opportunities based on their individual interests.
For example, if you have a little one who’s interested in transporting things you might say he’s exhibiting the Transporting Schema. If you’re playing in the sand, you’d have greater success at engaging his interest by having him move sand in buckets and trucks rather than digging or burying objects in the sand.

It makes sense therefore to take this schema and apply it to engage their interest in eating. Food is merely an extension of toys in the way a child learns:

“children learn most when learning is fun”

One of the earliest ways your child will learn about their environment is through their mouth and food and eating is an extension of that

The way a child interacts with a toy is to:

1. See a toy that sparks their interest
2. Reach for the toy
3. Put the toy in the mouth to explore it

So why not take this process and apply it to the process of eating – an activity we do 3 times a day?

This is the way a child interacts with food:

1. Sees some food that sparks their interest
2. Reaches for the food
3. Puts the food in the mouth to explore it

It makes sense therefore to start off by offering bright colourful foods which will spark their interest rather than boring old beige baby rice- we don’t see many beige baby toys on the market, and now you can probably see why since it won’t stimulate their interest to interact with it. Serving up bright, colourful foods and giving your child the opportunity to choose them is a extension of learning and will encourage your child to get off to the best start in life developmentally

It is easy to see how some children may go through a phase of becoming a fussy eater when they would rather be down from the table playing than sat at the table eating. So why not continue with food being an extension of play and create delicious meals targeting your child’s schema. We don’t mean putting foods in patterns of cars but serving up home-cooked food that compliments your child play.

Check out our other articles around feeding your child’s schema.

We like to set our little ones a good example and encourage sharing. We don't mind you using any of the information, recipes and tips from our website, all we ask is that you credit us hard-working mummies here at Yummy Discoveries. 

Thank you x

©Yummy Discoveries Ltd.