In the post, we are sharing Easy Gustatory Sensory Activities that help to improve the taste sense. These sensory ideas will help kids to explore and learn about the senses of tastes. Also, these activities are connected with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder).
Easy Gustatory Sensory Activities
Here are three super easy Gustatory Sensory Activities to try!
1. Salt and Sugar Test
Salt and sugar testing is a very easy and quick activity to explore how our sense of taste can detect a difference between two things when our other senses can’t.
Give each child about 1/4 teaspoon (or a few pinches) of salt and an equal amount of sugar. I like putting them on black paper so kids can see the white salt and sugar better than as compared to something white.
Don’t talk about kids having salt and sugar. Ask them to check both. Ask, what does the first thing look like? How is that feeling? Ask the same questions on the other one. Do they know the difference between them? Ask children whether they can find a way to tell the difference between them?
Next, have the kids taste the salt and sugar one by one. The simplest way to do this is for kids to lick a finger, press it into the salt or sugar, and taste.
(Each kid has his own, and we wash our hands first.) Ask them if they can name what they have tasted, how it tasted (sweet/ salty), and if they could make the difference between both.
2. Milk Taste Test
In this taste test, kids mix flavors in the milk and taste test each, either blindfolded or with eyes closed. (Some children don’t like blindfolds.) You can use almond milk or coconut milk if you have any children who are allergic to cow’s milk. You will also need three little cups per child and a spoon or popsicle stick to stir. Powdered flavor for milk may be purchased in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors.
The kids will add each flavor to each of their three cups of milk. Blindfolded or closed, give them each taste and guess the flavor. For that, just put each cup in their hand to drink, one at a time.
3. Ice Cream Taste Game
Gather your materials. You will need multiple flavors of ice cream, a piece of paper, markers, peel labels, cups to hide ice cream containers, and one or more spoons.
Number each cup.
Make a basic chart, you could do it on the computer and print it out, but it doesn’t need perfection, just fun, and learning.
Write the flavor on the chart and cover it with tags.
Your child will pick them up after recording all the tests and predictions.
Place the ice cream in the bowls with the right number.
Can you tell I had a little taste of some of those? Can you blame me?
Invite your child to start a test.
Smell the first and make a prediction.
My son got my real sniffer, he was like, “It’s mango, I know it!”
Taste it. Then repeat.
Complete the graph as you go.
After all the tests, peel and expose! He enjoyed that part almost as much as their tasting. He was shocked to see #2 as caramel instead of vanilla!
Choose your favorite to have as an after-experience snack!
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