Fun Kitchen Activities for Picky Eaters (and Sensory-Sensitive Kids)

Updated August 2025

Do you have a child with sensory issues, a picky eater, or maybe both? You’re not alone—these challenges are more common than you might think. Because eating is such a complex task that uses all of our senses, sensory sensitivities can make mealtime even more stressful and overwhelming.

Not all picky eaters have sensory issues, but if your child is both sensory-sensitive and a picky eater, mealtimes can feel extra tricky. The good news is that whether your child has one or both of these challenges, there are practical strategies you can use at home to help make mealtimes smoother and more enjoyable.

These ideas are great for ALL kids! You can keep the focus on having some fun together in the kitchen with these activities for your sensory sensitive or picky eater kids, while helping them progress at the same time.

Fun Kitchen Activities for Picky Eaters or Sensory-Sensitive Kids

Cutting - Use plastic/kid chef knives and let your child practice cutting fruits, veggies, cheeses, etc. Kids can help cut up/prepare the ingredients for a salad or soup to take part in 'cooking' for the family. These kid-friendly cutting knives help create worry-free fun for your Kid in the Kitchen.

Spreading - Let your child use a knife to 'paint' their pancake, bread, crackers, fruit, etc. with butter, jam, nut butter, cream cheese, or other choices.

Shape Making - Fun shapes are more appealing to children! Use favorite cookie cutters to cut sandwiches (breads, tortillas, meats, cheeses), fruits and veggies and more.

Mashing - Give your child the hand masher to help make potatoes, applesauce, or to mash the butter into the flour or sugar when making cookies.

Rolling - Another great sensory activity! Have your child roll out prepared dough with a rolling pin. Try putting cake or cookie toppings into a sealed plastic bag for kids to roll over with the rolling pin or they can use their hands or fingers to 'crush' the ingredients inside the bag.

Download the free Sensory/Food Fun Activities List

I WANT THIS!

Fun Presentation Ideas

When serving new or familiar foods, mix it up a bit and try using tiny cocktail forks and spoons, plastic toothpicks for fruit on a stick, shape themes like 'circle' crackers and cheeses, funny faces with fruits or veggies on waffles, toast or pizzas, and spoons and silly straws for smoothies/drinks.

You can also turn food prep into a mini adventure by letting your child help with simple tasks like arranging ingredients, sprinkling toppings, or creating patterns on their plate. Giving them small choices—like which fruit to add or what color of pepper to use—helps build independence and curiosity while keeping mealtime fun. These little touches make trying new foods feel like a game rather than a chore, encouraging even the pickiest eaters to explore and enjoy what’s on their plate.

Struggling with picky eating can make every mealtime feel like a battle. You want your child to try new foods and eat more variety, but frustration and stress often get in the way.

Build a Better Eater is designed to give you simple, practical strategies that actually work, so you can create happier, less stressful mealtimes together.

Help Your Child Eat Better—Get the Book

Engaging your sensory-sensitive or picky eater in the kitchen can turn mealtime challenges into fun, hands-on learning experiences. Simple activities like squishing dough, stirring, or mixing colorful ingredients let your child explore new textures and flavors at their own pace while building fine motor skills, self-regulation, and confidence. By involving your kids in cooking, you create a positive, stress-free environment that encourages healthy eating habits and a willingness to try new foods.

Raddish Kids takes this a step further with fun, monthly cooking clubs full of kid-friendly recipes and hands-on activities that make cooking exciting for children of all ages.

Give your child the joy of creating something delicious while learning valuable skills—cooking together can be both fun and confidence-boosting. Ready to make mealtime even more exciting?

Explore Raddish Kids Cooking Clubs

Mealtimes don’t have to be stressful, and helping your child explore new foods is completely possible with a little patience, creativity, and consistency. By involving your child in the kitchen, making food fun, and giving them gentle choices, you can create a positive, calm environment where trying new foods becomes easier. Every small step counts, and over time, these experiences can help your child become a more confident, adventurous eater.

You may also like these related posts:

5 Steps to Help Sensory Picky Eaters Try New Foods Without Meltdowns

Food Art Fun: Help a Picky Eater [Try New Foods Reward Chart Free PDF]

10 Ways to Encourage Healthy Eating with Food Art for Kids

All blog content shared through HealthSmart! Kids is for informational purposes only and not to be construed as medical advice. Always talk with your qualified health care provider for managing your health care needs.