GIVING CHILDREN MIXED MESSAGES - CONFUSING THEM

[angeldelight]

What do you do when children are eating and they start to play with their food?

Do you tell them not to do it - do you get annoyed if they smear their food all over the table or they try to make a " face " with their food?

Just wondered because we are now encouraged so much to let children play with food - ie pasta , jelly etc etc
Some of my parents think its a stupid idea and often show that they are not happy because then their children play with their food at meal times at home

It must be confusing for the children - one minute they are encouraged to play with food then the next they are told to stop messing with it and eat it properly !!

How do you deal with this ? Do you find it difficult ?

Do you think we should encourage this sensory play or do you think its wrong to let children to play with food?

I dont want advice or anything :laughing: Just wondering what your views are

Angel xxx

[haribo]

i do think it sends mixed messages to them - i use dry pasta sometimes for messy play but not cooked and i dont encourage them to taste what we use when exploring textures . i use gelli bath instead of jelly etc - i think it because i hate wasting food :panic: if children are young and weaning i obviously dont mind them `playing`with food but once theyre older i dont like them to whilst they are eating :blush:

[singingcactus]

I don't think it is sending them mixed messages. There is a big difference between a messy play environment and a dinner table, with crockery and cutlery and glassware.
Children are very intelligent creatures and can easily tell the difference. If they couldn't, then water play would have come under this kind of scrutiny many years ago. I mean if we can't expect children to tell the difference between messy play and meal times, then how can we expect them to know the difference between playing in a bowl of water and drinking a glass of water! Surely they would be chucking their drinks over each other all the time.

[PixiePetal]

I think you can be giving mixed messages but I keep messy play to the tuff spot/at a different table or with a different 'messy' cloth - and eating at the dining table with cutlery when they are old enough.

[angeldelight]

I don't think it is sending them mixed messages. There is a big difference between a messy play environment and a dinner table, with crockery and cutlery and glassware.
Children are very intelligent creatures and can easily tell the difference. If they couldn't, then water play would have come under this kind of scrutiny many years ago. I mean if we can't expect children to tell the difference between messy play and meal times, then how can we expect them to know the difference between playing in a bowl of water and drinking a glass of water! Surely they would be chucking their drinks over each other all the time.

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

That made me laugh - some good points

xxx

[Playmate]

I don't think it is sending them mixed messages. There is a big difference between a messy play environment and a dinner table, with crockery and cutlery and glassware.
Children are very intelligent creatures and can easily tell the difference. If they couldn't, then water play would have come under this kind of scrutiny many years ago. I mean if we can't expect children to tell the difference between messy play and meal times, then how can we expect them to know the difference between playing in a bowl of water and drinking a glass of water! Surely they would be chucking their drinks over each other all the time.

I quite agree with this, its all a matter of rules and boundries and children are far more adaptable than we give them credit for. They learn what they can get away with diferent peoples houses in terms of behaviour from quite an early age therefore I think they can learn the difference between messy play time and meal times. :D

[Mouse]

I think you can teach children from an early age that there is a difference between messy play with food & mealtimes.

For messy play, we tend to do it outside, with a tough spot, standing up & wearing a pinny.

For eating, we're at the table, with plates & cutlery, sitting down & wearing a bib (if needed).

I don't think it causes a problem with children messing around when they're eating - it's more likely to be the other way round & they eat the messy play!

[marzi]

My youngest DS in nearly 3 years old and quite often he will sit and eat a bit of his dinner then start making some sort of castle or birthday cake by sticking his veg in his mash and pouring gravy over :rolleyes: I don't tell him off because i think he needs to experiment and usually he eats a bit more while he's playing. Not much but a bit and anything that gets him eating extra veg is fine by me.

[angeldelight]

I think you can teach children from an early age that there is a difference between messy play with food & mealtimes.

For messy play, we tend to do it outside, with a tough spot, standing up & wearing a pinny.

For eating, we're at the table, with plates & cutlery, sitting down & wearing a bib (if needed).

I don't think it causes a problem with children messing around when they're eating - it's more likely to be the other way round & they eat the messy play!

Yeah same here :laughing: :laughing:

xxxx

[lou lou]

i do find this with my daughter but i tend to say when it is dinner time that it is not play time it is dinner time now and most times it does work

[The Juggler]

I don't use food in messy play for this reason:) I am so strict on table manners - not that it does me any good with my dd and ds (8 and 10). the 2 year olds behave better - my 8 year old still makes faces with her food:laughing: :laughing:

[Mouse]

I don't use food in messy play for this reason:) I am so strict on table manners - not that it does me any good with my dd and ds (8 and 10). the 2 year olds behave better - my 8 year old still makes faces with her food:laughing: :laughing:

I'm guilty of that as well :blush: When I'm putting food out, I'll often make it into a face, or when I'm eating I'll push my food round to make it look like one. Other than that I do have pretty good table manners :laughing:

[The Juggler]

I'm guilty of that as well :blush: When I'm putting food out, I'll often make it into a face, or when I'm eating I'll push my food round to make it look like one. Other than that I do have pretty good table manners :laughing:

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: I actually don't mind that too much she's worked so hard now on not getting up from table more than twice during the meal and not hopping up and down and shouting, the face making's keeping her at the table:)

[ajs]

i think the problems lie more with the parents then the children, they are looking for excuses and someone to blame for their lack of control at the table.

mine def know the difference between messy play and meal times with me and their table manners are fine

[miffy]

I definitely think it comes down to the adults attitude not the childs!

Some adults can't stand food to be messed around with but I think kids are pretty quick to learn when they can and when they can't mess about with food.

Let's face it some kids who've never experienced messy play with food have appalling table manners :rolleyes:

Miffy xx

[maryp0ppins]

:eek: WHAT SO YOU LOT TELLING ME YOU DONT HAVE FOOD FIGHTS:eek: :eek: there the best


ok ok just kidding :rolleyes: , as long as they use manners, stay at the table & eat their food i think its no biggy if they have a little play on the plate. 3yr old mindee often makes his plate a working site, with his mash being the dump & his pea's being the men at work & what ever else he has on his plate are usually the dump trucks....:D

[sarah707]

I have never really encouraged food play for quite a lot of reasons.

Mostly because of being brought up in times when there wasn't much money around. I still remember the 14 week steel workers strike when I was young and we had absolutely nothing in the pantry.


How can I justify wasting food now for play when I remember being hungry?

There are plenty of other sensory activities children can explore without using food.

It's the same with this whole body immersion thing they seem to be doing in nurseries... babies do not need to make bottom prints in paint to explore creativity using all their bodies!!

They can dance, move around, sing movement songs etc.

See you've got me on my soap box now :rolleyes: :laughing: :D

[flora]

I have never really encouraged food play for quite a lot of reasons.

Mostly because of being brought up in times when there wasn't much money around. I still remember the 14 week steel workers strike when I was young and we had absolutely nothing in the pantry.


How can I justify wasting food now for play when I remember being hungry?

There are plenty of other sensory activities children can explore without using food.

It's the same with this whole body immersion thing they seem to be doing in nurseries... babies do not need to make bottom prints in paint to explore creativity using all their bodies!!

They can dance, move around, sing movement songs etc.

See you've got me on my soap box now :rolleyes: :laughing: :D

I am lucky enough never to have been hungry, but yet again sarah I find myself agreeing with you :thumbsup:

[hello kitty]

I just don't see the need to play with food or use it as a sensory experience. Neither of my dds experienced this and they are both rounded individuals and neither did I and I am more rounded than most! :blush:

[catswhiskers]

I would agree with last few posts - I hate to see food wasted! I also think that it does confuse children about what and what not to eat!

[singingcactus]

HAHA, take a look at this blog post:

http://sandycalico.blogspot.com/2010/05/can-you-guess-what-it-is-yet.html

[babs]

i have a lo who lines her cornflakes up in a row on the table then counts them as she eats them tbh i don't mind she has good table manners at lunch time just does this at breakfast and with grapes...:laughing: :laughing: but my 18 yr old old and his dad well they still make mash volcano's pouring gravy in the middle saying save the people ( sweetcorn or peas) as it flows over the top...

i to play with food i make wagon wheels sandwiches, cerey boats, even sometimes use cutters when ive made sandwiches the kids love it...

[estrelas]

I have never really encouraged food play for quite a lot of reasons.

Mostly because of being brought up in times when there wasn't much money around. I still remember the 14 week steel workers strike when I was young and we had absolutely nothing in the pantry.


How can I justify wasting food now for play when I remember being hungry?

There are plenty of other sensory activities children can explore without using food.

It's the same with this whole body immersion thing they seem to be doing in nurseries... babies do not need to make bottom prints in paint to explore creativity using all their bodies!!

They can dance, move around, sing movement songs etc.

See you've got me on my soap box now :rolleyes: :laughing: :D

yep agree x

[auntym]

Sorry but if i pay £0.60p for a bag of dried pasta its being eaten!!! lol, i agree with most on here, food prices have gone up, i have plenty of toys.
I may be sound tight but i dont even use my bread on ducks unless its stale lol
i have many textured things for the child to play with, and if they want to make a necklace they can use the beads i bought not my pasta lol
please dont think im a meany - i just do beleive foods for eating as theres far too many going without

[babs]

i dont use food for mindees to play with, i use compost with or without water, sand, fake snow, kiddie foam( dont like to use shaving foam) and kiddies hand wash foam is just as good.