Science
Taste test
- Builds: Observing with senses
- 10 min
- Ages 3–6
- Calm
- A little tidy-up
From the house
- 3–4 small tastes: a lemon slice, banana, a cracker, cheese, yogurt
How to play
- Put each taste on a plate.
- Try them one at a time together, and make faces!
- Name each taste: sweet, sour, salty, crunchy.
- Which is their favorite? Which made them scrunch their face?
Fit it to your child
- Easier: Offer just two very different tastes, like lemon and banana, and you name each one.
- Harder: They pinch their nose while tasting a thin slice of apple, then let go: smell is a big part of flavor.
Words to use
- sweet
- sour
- salty
- crunchy
- yummy
Why it helps
Their tongue becomes a tool for observing, and noticing and naming exactly what they find, sweet, sour or salty, is how every experiment starts.
Grown-up eyes: Small, soft pieces only, and they sit down to taste. Cut cheese into thin strips, not cubes, for under-4s.