What Foods Make You Smile?

What can I use if I don't have a plate, five different snack foods, or paper for the activity?

Use a clean cutting board or parchment as a plate, choose five items from different categories (for example fruit, cheese, cracker, nut/seed, and a sweet spread) if packaged snacks are limited, and write on a napkin, the back of a cereal box, or a piece of cardboard for your prediction and mood notes.

My smiley snacks keep falling apart when I try to make them—how can I fix that?

Pick a sturdier base like a rice cake or slice of bread, spread a thin layer of peanut butter or cream cheese to ‘glue’ eyes and mouth in place, and ask an adult to help cut small topping pieces flat so they stay put while you follow the step 'Make one smiley face snack on a plate.'

How should we adapt the steps for younger or older kids doing this tasting activity?

For toddlers, simplify to three pre-cut soft foods with close adult supervision for tasting and cleanup, while older kids can do five snacks blindfolded, record detailed mood words and drawings on the paper, and write one nutrition fact per snack as the instructions request.

What are some ways to extend or personalize the 'What Foods Make You Smile?' activity after finishing the basic steps?

Make a photo 'Smile Chart' poster with pictures of each smiley snack, add the mood notes and one simple fact about each food beneath the picture as the instructions suggest, and try keeping a short week-long diary comparing how those foods affect your mood over several days.