Pudding Sensory Recipe

It’s fun to shake the pudding ingredients in an empty jar

Recipe PDF (english)

Let’s have fun during snack time! In this activity you and your child will make pudding and learn a charming rhyme to go with it. Making this recipe together supports your child in learning independent living skills (especially feeding), introduces measurement and counting, and provides a multitude of sensory experiences. Pudding’s texture is smooth and comforting. Best of all, the recipe only requires two ingredients!

With each step, we provide sensory suggestions for you to try with your child. You can follow one or all of the suggestions – touch, taste, see, smell, hear. You can serve the pudding in a bowl, on a plate, or directly on your child’s feeding tray.

Utensils

• Clean, empty canning jar or 24-oz. spaghetti sauce jar with a lid
• One teaspoon
• A wet washcloth or paper towel for washing off sticky fingers
• Your child’s plate or bowl, and spoon, if they’re using one
  

Ingredients

• One 3.4 oz. box of instant pudding mix in your favorite flavor
• 2 cups cold milk or a non-dairy alternative
  

Recipe Steps & Suggested Sensory Directions

Step 1.
Gather the ingredients, a clean empty jar with a lid (e.g. a canning jar or a spaghetti sauce jar), a teaspoon for serving the pudding, and your child’s plate or bowl and spoon, if they’re using one.

• TOUCH. What do they feel like? Are their textures rough or smooth? Does the jar feel warm or cold? Try twisting the lid on and off the jar. You can say, “The lid is on tight. Now let’s twist it off.”
  
• LISTEN. What happens when you bang the spoon against the jar? Shaking the box of pudding sounds like maracas.
  

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Step 2.
Empty the pudding mix into the jar.

• SMELL. What does the mix smell like? Did you choose chocolate, vanilla, banana, or another flavor?
  
• TOUCH. Put a little bit of the pudding mix on your child’s plate or feeding tray and encourage your child to dip their finger in it. Trace some shapes. The mix feels dry and powdery.
  
• TASTE. Encourage your child to taste the pudding mix by dabbing a little bit on their finger or their lips.
  
• SEE. Talk about the color of the mix. Brown chocolate pudding mix will pop on a light-colored bowl or plate.
  

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Step 3.
Fill a measuring cup with one cup of cold milk or other dairy alternative. Pour it into the jar. Repeat with another cup of milk.

• TOUCH. Feel the measuring cup or your jar. They’re smooth and empty.
  
• LISTEN. Listen to the milk as you pour it into the measuring cup. Count the number of cups out loud. Saying the cup is “full” or “empty” introduces spatial concepts.
  
• TOUCH. If any milk spills on your work surface, dip your fingers into it and spread the puddle. If you used a non-dairy alternative to milk, it might feel thicker.
  
• SEE. What happens when you pour the milk into the jar? Narrate to your child how you can still see the pudding mix and the milk because they’re not mixed up yet. Following a recipe teaches children that cooking follows steps in a sequence.
  

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Step 4.
Put the lid on the jar and screw it tight. Now shake your jar until the pudding is well blended and to your favorite thickness.

• LISTEN. Listen to the sound of the milk splashing in the jar as you move the jar up and down. Count out loud the number of times you shake the jar. While you shake the jar, you can say this popular rhyme. “Pudding in the jar/Pudding in the jar/Shake them up/Shake them up/Pudding in the jar.” Combining words with movement grows connections in your child’s brain.
  
• TOUCH. Is the pudding ready yet or does it need a few more shakes? Open the jar and touch the pudding with your finger. Is it thick or runny? Allow your child to put their hands over yours as you move the jar up and down and feel the movement in your forearms.
  

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Step 5.
Open the jar and spoon some of the pudding into your bowl, on a plate, or directly on your child’s tray. Your child might use their fingertips or their spoon to taste it. You can also try dipping cookies or berries in the pudding.

• TOUCH. What does the pudding feel like? Some children may not like how gooey and sticky it is, so have a wet washcloth nearby to wipe off fingers. Try fingerpainting with it and lick your fingers afterwards. If your child is using a spoon help them learn to scoop the pudding and bring the spoon to their mouth with hand under hand.
  
• LISTEN. Here’s the second verse of the rhyme that you can say while you serve the pudding. “Pudding on the plate/Pudding on the plate/Wibble wobble/Wibble wobble, Pudding on the plate.” Use descriptive, action words like “wibble,” wobble,” “wiggle” and “jiggle” to explain how the pudding moves on the plate.
  
• SMELL. What other foods smell like your pudding? Maybe your child would like to have a banana slice with their banana pudding.
  
• TASTE. The proof of the pudding is in the eating! Its smooth, creamy texture and sweet taste are comforting to young and old alike.
  

Options

Try making the pudding in a different container like a Ziploc bag. Your child might enjoy touching, squishing, and mixing the pudding when it’s in a plastic bag. Some children might like the vibration of an electric mixer. Be observant and mindful of your child’s preferences and allow for wait time between each step in the recipe.

Photo courtesy of Yummy Toddler Food