TinyStepper
Toddler sitting inside a cardboard box car with stuffed animal passengers

Smell and Guess Game

Smell foods and spices with eyes closed and guess what they are — sensory learning for curious noses.

Activity details

2y–4y8 minslowindoorPlastic Containers

Instructions

Get ready
  • Gather 4-5 items with strong, safe scents from the kitchen
  • Good options: lemon, cinnamon, mint, banana, bread, vanilla extract on cotton wool
  1. Gather 4-5 items with strong, safe scents from the kitchen
  2. Good options: lemon, cinnamon, mint, banana, bread, vanilla extract on cotton wool
  3. Have your toddler close their eyes or look away
  4. Hold each item near their nose: 'What can you smell?'
  5. Give clues if they are stuck: 'It's yellow and sour...'
  6. Reveal each item and let them smell it again with eyes open
  7. Talk about the smell: 'Do you like that one? It smells sweet/sharp/warm'
  8. Let them test you — toddlers love being the one giving the quiz

Parent tip

Set out plastic containers before inviting your toddler in so the first minute feels smooth.

Parent and child sitting face-to-face laughing together in a warm shared moment

What success looks like

Back-and-forth between you — words, gestures, shared pretend. Connection is the real outcome here.

Gather a few items with distinctive smells — a lemon, cinnamon, mint leaves, vanilla, an orange, fresh bread — and let your toddler smell each one with eyes closed (or just looking away). Can they guess what it is? This playful sensory exploration builds familiarity with food aromas without any pressure to taste, creating positive food associations through the safest sense.

Why it helps

Smell is the most primal and least threatening sense for food exploration. Building positive scent associations is a well-established step in the 'food chain' approach to overcoming picky eating: look, touch, smell, lick, taste. The guessing game format makes it cognitively engaging, and naming scents builds descriptive vocabulary. The EYFS Communication and Language goals emphasise that children pick up language fastest when they hear new words in real, engaging contexts — not through flashcards.

Variations

  • Include non-food scents too: a flower, soap, a leather shoe.
  • For older toddlers, sort smells into 'like' and 'don't like' categories.
  • Repeat over weeks with different items — familiarity grows each time.

Safety tips

  • Avoid strong spices that could irritate eyes or airways (chilli, pepper).
  • Don't force smelling — let your toddler control how close they get.
  • Keep small items like whole spices out of reach to prevent choking.

Want to try another?

Banana Smushing

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