20 Fun and Educational Food Games for Kids

“Don’t play with your food!” It’s a common phrase that most parents have spoken at least a few times in their lives. But, done the right way, food games for kids can be both educational and fun!

Not sure where to start? Check out these creative ideas. 

Healthy food games for kids

Playing games with food is a great way to teach your kids about healthy eating. These fun learning games are sure to be a hit. 

1. Name that food

Try blindfolding your kids then giving them a bite of different kinds of food. Let them smell, taste, and touch it as they try to guess what it is without peeking.

2. Create little people

If you have trouble getting your kids to eat their fruits and veggies, give them a bunch of cut-up pieces and some toothpicks and let them build their own food “people.” When they’re done, they can eat them right away or save them to eat with their lunch or dinner. You can make it even more fun by giving them “swimming pool” bowls of salad dressings, dips, or yogurt for dipping.

3. The tastebud game  

Start this game by teaching your kids about the tongue and how the taste buds work. Then, fill the cups of a muffin tin with foods that are sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and spicy. Let your kids identify the category for each food they taste. 

4. Grocery store bingo

Make your grocery runs more interesting for the kids by creating a bingo card that lists each of the five food groups across the top and common foods in the proper column underneath. Bring some crayons and let the kids play while you shop. The first kid to get Bingo wins!

5. Veggie guessing game

Start by placing some veggies in a paper bag or a pillowcase, one at a time. Then have your kids reach inside, feel it, and try to guess what it is.

Fun food games

While you can use food games to teach, sometimes it’s okay to just have fun. Kids and kids at heart will love these silly food games.  

1. Baby food guess test

The kids will think it’s hilarious if the adults play this game too. To play, blindfold the guesser, then feed them different flavors of baby food (like pudding, peas, and peaches) and let them try to guess what they’re eating.

2. Chopstick challenge

Learning how to use chopsticks is a valuable skill for kids. In the beginning, try making “banana sushi” with chocolate and peanuts and letting your kids practice their skills. As they get older, try counting how many items they can pick up in a certain amount of time or playing “pass the food” using chopsticks.

3. Marshmallow and spaghetti towers

A bag of mini marshmallows and a package of raw spaghetti make perfect building materials! Give each kid plenty of supplies and let them compete to see who can make the coolest creation.

4. Cereal necklaces

Making “necklaces” from a clean piece of ribbon and colorful cereal isn’t just fun, it will also help your kids develop their hand-eye coordination. When they’re done, they can eat them or wear them for a day or two. 

5. Themed tasting days

Get the whole family involved by planning themed tasting days. For example, if the theme of the day is apples, gather up a selection of red apples, green apples, apple sauce, dried apples, apple juice, and apple cider. Then, prepare a family tasting feast. 

6. Measure and guess

When cooking with kids, make it fun by getting them more involved. Whenever you have to measure items, like half a cup of blueberries, have your kids guess how many are in the cup. Whoever guesses closest to the right answer gets the first taste of whatever you’re cooking!

7. Food guessing game

Similar to “I spy,” you can keep kids entertained for hours by playing a food-themed guessing game. Just start with “I’m thinking of a food that starts with the letter ___” and let them start guessing. If needed, you can add more clues, such as the color, shape, or texture of the food you have in mind.

8. Smoothie competition

For this fun game, you’ll want to pull out a variety of ingredients that can be used to make smoothies – think milk, yogurt, fruit, spinach, peanut butter, and more. Let each person choose the ingredients for their smoothies – then have an adult blend them up. The catch is that everyone has to taste each person’s creations.

Easy food games for toddlers

Little ones often learn best by touching, tasting, and feeling. This makes easy food games a great option for toddlers.

1. Pancake faces

This is a great game for picky eaters! Simply set out some pancakes (or waffles) along with different kinds of fruit, syrup, whipped cream, and any other toppings that appeal to you. Then let your kids have fun decorating their meals before they dig in.

2. Letter of the week

When your kids start learning their ABCs, incorporate these lessons with some fun food games. For example, if the letter of the week is “B,” you can focus meals and snacks around berries, bananas, bacon, and so on.

3. Marshmallow towers

Multi-colored jumbo marshmallows are more fun to play with than blocks! Give your toddler a bag of marshmallows and let them enjoy building towers.

Food games to play at parties

Want to make sure everyone has a blast, enjoys lots of laughs, and makes great memories? Next time you throw a birthday party, incorporate some of these easy food games for kids.

1. Ice cream sundae relay

If you’re planning to have a sundae bar at your next party, try making a game out of it. Set all the ingredients out on a table and set a starting line a ways away. Then, call out necessities (like “ice cream,” “syrup,” or “sprinkles.”) and have everyone run between the table and the starting line for each item. Whoever finishes first wins and is rewarded by getting to dig into their sundae before everyone else. 

2. Whipped cream hide-and-seek

This game is absolutely hilarious and will give you some great photo opportunities! Start by filling a paper plate with whipped cream and hiding five treats – like chocolates or candy – underneath. Each person will compete to see who can find them all the fastest… but the catch is, they can’t use their hands!

3. Donuts on a string

For another game that will bring lots of laughs, tie donuts from a string so they hang in the air. Then, see who can eat theirs the fastest without using their hands.

4. Spaghetti eating contest

Set up a table with chairs for three to four contestants. Give each of them a large bowl of spaghetti, then watch as they try to eat it without using silverware or their hands. The first one to finish wins the game.

Get everything you need to play fun food games with your kids!

Are you excited to play some of these fun food games for kids? It’s easy to do, even if you’re super busy. In fact, you don’t even need to leave your house! With Instacart’s grocery delivery service, you can add all the items you need to your shopping list then wait for a professional shopper to drop your order off at your front door. Try it out today! 

Grab it now on Instacart:

Jacent Chopsticks (1 each)

Pasta Toscana Spaghetti Pasta (17.64 oz)

Kellogg's Froot Loops Cereal (14.7 oz)

Granny Smith Apple (1 lb)

Organic Blueberries (6 ct)

Jet-puffed Jumbo Watermelon Marshmallows (20 oz)

Instacart

Author

Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.