Mad Libs + Mindful Snack

Check out this fun activity that turns snack into a mindful game and generates adjectives for a fun Mad Libs story!

Purpose:

• Use science skills to practice close observations

• Practice mindfulness (being present)

• Build up a repertoire of adjectives

Materials:

• Pick 3 foods that your kids will at least taste (lemons, herbs, edible flowers, oranges, honey, chamomile tea, a cracker, a vegetable…)

• Optional: scraps of paper, index cards, post-its to write individual adjectives on

• Mad Libs (see below) 

Instructions:  

Put each food item under a bowl. (Optional, cover your eyes or use a blindfold)

Hint: this is a fun activity for older children to prep and run for younger children

For each food, slowly and mindfully explore it with each sense one at a time: look, touch, smell, then taste. You can even listen to the food! 

Ask your child to describe the food using each sense. Is it mushy, juicy, firm? Use as many words as you can to describe it, without naming the food item. If they are writers, they can write it out. 

Goal: collect a lot of adjectives that you can use later to play mad libs. 

Simple version at a meal: do this with just one thing at the beginning of a meal or snack. Take a quiet moment, be present with what you’re eating.

Shameless Pro Parent Tip: Mindless eating. If your kids are watching shows, put bite-sized veggies out for them to gobble up.

Super simple, food-free version: Set a timer for 1-3 minutes. Look out the window (or around the room) and write as many descriptive words as you/your child notices in that time.

Randomly select four adjectives, and then place them in one of the Mad Libs below. Read them and laugh!

Variation: older children can write their own mad libs.

Hints: Ask questions like “What else?” “Tell me more” “Ooh, I see that it is                     . What other details do you notice?”

Bonus: Collect the adjectives on a whiteboard, stickies, or large piece of paper over time.

See below for two Mad Lib stories you can print and have your child use the adjectives they wrote down to create a playful story.

Special thanks to yoga and mindfulness instructor Angela Madonia for teaching us Mindful Snack!

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CLICK HERE to print.

There is a                      tree in my garden.  Its                     leaves sound                     and feel so very                        . 

When I am                          , I sit under the tree to relax, and then I look                                   . 

Once upon a time, there was a                                  child who lived in a                                  house. This child always wanted to eat a(n)                                  sandwich, but their sandwiches usually turned out                                  or                                 .

Extension: DRAW the mad libs!