Food Play Policy

Food play can benefit children through their sensory exploration of texture and exposure to different types of food in a play environment which can help those who feel anxious about eating different foods. Food play can also cover all 7 areas of learning through tipping, pouring, expansion of knowledge of types of food and developing vocabulary.

We note that play dough is made from raw “food” ingredients, and using play dough encourages fine motor skills such as squeezing and rolling.

We are at all times mindful of waste and will not use food in play unless it enhances the opportunities children are receiving from the activity. Many of the food items will be reused in other activities, especially the dry materials.

Through other activities we ensure that children are aware of how important food is, how some people do not have access to enough food or a wide enough range of different types of food, how many people work hard to provide us with food and how important it is to respect food, raw ingredients and mealtimes.

We will also use the following procedures to ensure children are kept safe:

• Choking hazards are checked and avoided.
• We will not use whole jelly cubes for play. If we do use jelly to enhance our play then all jelly will be prepared with water as per the instructions and then used.
• Small objects such as dried pasta and pulses will only be used under appropriate supervision.
• All allergies and intolerances will be checked and activities will be adapted to suit all children’s needs so no child is excluded.
• Children’s allergies are always visible and known to staff (including agency staff) to ensure all needs are met.
• Any cooking activities will be checked prior to start to ensure all children are able use all the ingredients based on their individual needs.
• Each room will complete risk assessments to cover all aspects of food play.