Toddler Time at Home: Super Simple Smoothies

As part of our ScholarShare 529 Toddler Time at Home program, we’re making Super Simple Smoothies at home with our little ones! Cooking together with toddlers/early learners is a great way to teach hands-on skills in measuring, counting and developing motor skills, as well as building memories and fostering collaboration. Watch the video below for a tutorial on how to make delicious and healthy fruit smoothies at home.

In a blender, place:

• 2 ripe bananas – peeled and broken up. Your little will love to do this part! You can also peel and store bananas in a freezer bag to just break up and drop in when you’re ready to make your smoothie.
• 1 cup frozen fruit – strawberries, blueberries or peaches, etc.
• 1 cup of other sliced or cut up fresh fruit. Strawberries work well!
• 1 cup fruit juice – orange, apple, etc.

Blend all ingredients for 30 seconds (depending on blender) and then pour into cups to share. Let your little one help with adding all the ingredients to the blender as well as pouring the finished smoothies into cups, adding straws and delivering (with two hands) to all of the lucky recipients!

Further increase the learning opportunities while making this smoothie recipe together and consider incorporating one or more of the ideas below.

Finding Your Fruit
Have your child help select the fruits for the smoothie. Talk about the names of the chosen fruits. Encourage your child to explore through their senses – touch, smell, sight and taste and to describe them. Have he/she consider what they like and why.

You might talk about/ask:

• What fruits do you see? How do they smell? Feel? Taste?
• Which fruit is your favorite? What do you like best about it?

Creating Connections
Make connections with the types of ingredients you select. You could also use this activity as a chance to introduce the origins of fruits you select, as well as to invite your child to think and share about the foods your family eats.

You might talk about/ask:

• Where do these fruits come from? Where are they grown and how?
• What fruits do we like to eat in our family?
• How do we like to eat them?

Making Healthy Choices
Use this time to discuss with your child the importance of making healthy choices with the foods that we eat.

You might talk about/ask:

• What foods can we put in our smoothie that will help us to stay healthy and strong?
• Why are fruits so important for us to eat along with other foods?

Share a Story
Reading is a wonderful vehicle for learning and for introducing new ideas to early learners. Select engaging and age-appropriate books that feature fruits and related stories to read to your child before or after the smoothie making activity.

Recommended Related Reading (Ages 2 – 5):

• Eating the Alphabet – by Lois Ehlert (board book available for infants)
• Fruit Family – by Anew Martin
• Oliver’s Fruit Salad – by Vivian French
• A Mango in the Hand – by Antonio Sacre (bilingual, English/Spanish-language teaching book)

Preschool Learning Foundations Standards (Nutrition):

Age 48 months:

• Identify different kinds of foods.
• Indicate food preferences that reflect familial and cultural practices.

Age 60 months:

• Identify a larger variety of foods and may know some of the related food groups.
• Indicate food preferences based on familial and cultural practices and on some knowledge of healthy choices.