Peel A String Cheese

There is something irresistible about pulling down a string cheese string! Help your child become more comfortable with the texture of string cheese and learn how it comes apart by exploring it with them.  You are showing them how this food works, which is pretty cool. Show them you think it's fascinating and exciting and they will most likely get curious and find it just as fascinating as you.Activity:Let your child help you unwrap a string cheese and show them how you can start a string and pull it off. Start a string or two and let your child pull them down the rest of the way. Encourage your child to hold the whole string cheese, but hold it for them, if they're not comfortable. They may only be comfortable pulling a string with 2 fingers. That's a great start! Start a bunch of strings and let your child pull them all down. Even if they don't want to touch the string cheese at fist, curiosity is likely to get the better of them.  I've found that the urge to pull a string is often stronger than the fear of touching a new food!Split the strings into smaller and smaller strings. Pull the strings and break them into smaller and smaller pieces.Language and Senses :Talk about what the whole string cheese looks like (like a stick, like a finger, like a hot-dog) and how it feels (smooth, cold). As you are peeling the string cheese together, talk to your child about how it smells, feels, tastes. Can your child hear your bites when you bite it? Is it a loud food or a quiet food?Add a Song:Sing about what you are doing with the food to the tune of "This Is The Way We Go To School." Ex: "This is the way peel the string cheese, peel the string cheese, peel the string cheese, this is the way we peel the string cheese so early in the morning."Add A Concept:Talk about how you are taking a big piece and making it smaller. Show them how you can take a bite of a string and can make it smaller and smaller, too.Add Pretend-Play:When you have pulled the entire string cheese into strings, make something from the strings. Pile them into 'dump-truck bowl' to take to a construction site. Make railroad tracks or a road. Roll the strings up into snails. Follow your child's lead and have fun!What other activities have you and your child done with string cheese?Enjoy! Happy food play!