App of the Week | Awesome Eats

Before I share why I love this week's app, I just want to tell you that Whole Foods did not compensate me in any way to write about this app or the Whole Kids Foundation. While I do regularly shop at Whole Foods, and as much as I love the store, I never would have expected them to have such a fun (and therapeutic!) app.

Take a look for yourself:

 

First off, this app has cute graphics showing kids making healthy choices.

The game is full of great visual motor challenges. It starts off with this one-simply swiping the food onto the correct conveyor belt.

Then it gets a bit more challenging, as you sort the food onto the correct conveyor belt.

Each level gets a bit more challenging. In this level, two different veggies go into the same bin.

Obstacles are added.

And the conveyor belts don't all move in the same direction.

What? Now there are birds trying to steal the food? This is okay by me, because it adds an extra visual motor challenge.

I initially thought this game would only be appropriate for young children (under age 5), but as I worked my way through the levels, even I found this game to be challenging! I would say this app is great for all ages, and might even be a bit too difficult for young children.

What I like about this app:

In addition to the great visual motor challenges that this game provides, what I really like is that this app introduces children to new foods.

In between levels, there are cartoons of kids making healthy food choices...

...and tips about healthy snacks (that might even encourage trying new foods or textures).

The pictures of the fruits and vegetables at the beginning of each challenge can also serve as a way to introduce new foods.

With selective eaters, it never hurts to have lots of exposure across different types of media (e.g. books, apps, songs, seeing and touching the foods at a store or farmer's market).

Side note:
This app made me wonder, what exactly is the Whole Kids Foundation? So I looked it up and discovered that it's a non-profit founded by Whole Foods and dedicated to helping kids eat better--and enjoy it! Their website is full of great resources, from Better Bites activities that teach kids about food to a book club with children's books about food to Fruit and Veggie Bingo. This is definitely a website I will be bookmarking and visiting frequently.

App Information: 
Name of App: Awesome Eats
Publisher: Whole Kids Foundation
Compatible with: iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Requires iOS 4.3 or later.
Price: free!


*Information was correct at the time of publication, but is subject to change, so please confirm prior to downloading. This post contains affiliate links.


Have you used this app? Do you know of any other apps that can be used to expose children to different kinds of food?