Guess the smell, guess the taste: a kitchen game for the senses

Eyes closed. A small cup under the nose. "It's sour… and fresh… lemon!"

Smell and taste are senses we use all day and hardly ever practise on purpose. A guessing game with familiar foods from the kitchen changes that. Your child has to pay attention to one faint signal, find words for it and reason their way to an answer. This article explains how to play safely and how to keep the game interesting.

Before you start

Use only foods your child already eats without any problem. If anyone taking part has a food allergy or intolerance, leave those foods out completely. When in doubt, leave it out.
Food only. Never use cleaning products, perfume or anything else that isn't meant to be eaten.
Small, soft pieces for tasting, and nothing very hot or spicy.
Tasting is always optional. A child who would rather only smell is still playing the whole game.
Closed eyes are enough. Use a blindfold only if your child enjoys it.

The smelling round

Put a little of each food into five or six small cups. Good choices have a clear smell:

a slice of lemon or a piece of orange peel,
a mint or basil leaf, lightly crushed,
a piece of banana,
cinnamon, cocoa powder or ground coffee,
a slice of onion or a piece of ginger.

Your child closes their eyes and you hold one cup under their nose. Then the four steps: smell, describe, guess, look.

Describing comes before guessing. "Is it strong or faint? Sweet or sharp? Does it remind you of anything?" The words slow the guess down and often lead to the answer.

What to notice	Useful words
Strength	strong, faint, hardly there
Kind of smell	sweet, sour, fresh, sharp, spicy, earthy
A memory	"like breakfast", "like the garden", "like Grandma's kitchen"

The tasting round

Offer one small piece at a time on a spoon, with a sip of water in between.

Taste	Easy examples
Sweet	banana, a raisin, honey on a spoon
Sour	lemon, plain yoghurt
Salty	a cracker, a piece of cheese
Bitter	dark chocolate, cocoa powder

Ask about texture too: crunchy or soft, juicy or dry, smooth or grainy? A piece of apple and a piece of pear taste alike but feel different in the mouth.

An experiment for older children: taste a piece of apple and a piece of pear while gently holding your nose. Many people find them much harder to tell apart. Let go of the nose and the difference comes back. It is a simple way to discover that the nose helps the tongue.

Variations

Smell pairs. Prepare two cups of each smell and mix them up. Your child finds the pairs by nose alone, like a memory game for smells.
Faintest to strongest. Put three or four cups in order.
Kitchen detective. Before coming into the kitchen, guess from the smell what is cooking.
Like it or not. After guessing, each player says "I like it", "I'm not sure" or "not for me". Tastes differ, and nobody has to agree.

Rough age	What to try
4–5	Three or four very different smells; you offer the words
6–7	Describing before guessing; the four tastes; smell pairs
8–9	Similar foods, such as two fruits or two herbs; ordering by strength
10 and up	The held-nose experiment; guessing two ingredients mixed together

Ages are only a rough guide, and every child is different.

In Dologi, the Listening topic trains another sense in the same spirit: in "Odd note out" puzzles, children listen to several sounds and pick the one that is different.

In short

Use only familiar foods that are safe for everyone, and keep tasting optional.
Smell, describe, guess, look: the describing step matters most.
Offer words for strength, kind of smell, taste and texture.
Try smell pairs, ordering by strength and the held-nose experiment.