Food & Music Explorer
A space for children to
Explore
Move
Play
Listen
Connect
What is it?
Food & Music Explorer is a 8 session playful, pressure-free small group experience designed to help children become more comfortable with food through sensory exploration, movement, music, and connection.
Why this program?
Rather than focusing on “finishing your food” or getting children to eat something they are not ready for, we create opportunities for children to look, touch, smell, hear, play with, prepare, and taste food at their own pace.
Because learning about food happens long before a child takes a bite.
How long does this program run?
It runs by term basis, 8 sessions per term as food exploration takes time,
and so does building trust. Children often need time to become comfortable not only with the food, but also with the people, routines and environment around them.
Why is it by term?
The first few sessions are about getting to know one another, learning the group routine and feeling safe enough to participate. As the children become familiar with the space and the other children, they can gradually become more willing to join activities, try something new and learn from what their peers are doing.
What happens in a session?
Every session follows a different food theme, often built around a letter of the alphabet.
Children might:
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Explore foods with different colours, smells, temperatures and textures
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Touch, squash, peel, mix, scoop, spread and build with food
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Practise age-appropriate feeding and oral-motor skills through food activities
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Explore crunchy, soft, chewy, slippery, juicy and dissolvable textures
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Practise tongue movement, lip closure, chewing and cup or straw drinking within appropriate activities
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Develop fine-motor skills through peeling, picking up, spreading, pouring and shaping
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Take part in simple food preparation and cooking activities
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Explore familiar foods alongside less familiar foods
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Use music, rhythm and movement to support attention, regulation and engagement
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Taste when they are ready, without pressure
What skills can be supported?
Depending on the child's developmental level and the activity, sessions may incorporate opportunities for:
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Sensory exploration
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Temperature, texture, smell, colour, taste and food properties
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Oral-motor and early feeding skills
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Lip closure, tongue movement, chewing practice and graded texture experiences
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Fine-motor skills
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Peeling, grasping, scooping, spreading, pouring and shaping
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Motor planning and coordination
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Cutting, mixing, building, carrying and following sequences
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Communication and social skills
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Turn-taking, requesting, imitation, following instructions and shared attention
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Regulation and engagement
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Movement, rhythm, predictable routines and musical interaction
Why music?
Music gives children another way to engage with the experience.
Rhythm can help organise movement and attention, while familiar songs can make repetitive actions more predictable and enjoyable. Music also creates opportunities for turn-taking, imitation, counting, sequencing and connection.
A counting song might accompany picking up peas.
A rhythm game might become a chewing or movement activity.
A percussion break might give children a chance to reset before returning to food exploration.
Music isn't simply playing in the background, it is woven into the way children participate, move and connect.