Foods around the world

Ages 3 to 5 Read and do together · about 15 minutes

Read together

People around the world eat different foods.

Rice, tortillas, bread and noodles feed millions.

Do it

1. Look at pictures of a staple food and where it is eaten: rice (Philippines and much of Asia), tortillas (Mexico), flatbread (Middle East), injera (Ethiopia), pasta (Italy).
2. Find each place on a map or globe.
3. Make or buy one together, and taste it. Say what it is like: soft, chewy, warm.
4. Say a thank-you before eating: “Thank you, God, for food from every land.”

Talk about it

• Which food do you like best?
• What do we eat at home that comes from far away?

For the grown-up

Rice, maize and wheat are among the world's most important staple crops. Families who share meals from other cultures teach respect and curiosity.

Mark as done

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Where this comes from

• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), FAOSTAT and statistical yearbooks on staple crops (rice, maize and wheat)
• Kenneth F. Kiple and Kriemhild Coneè Ornelas, eds., The Cambridge World History of Food (Cambridge University Press, 2000)

Written with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed. Please read it before sharing it with a child.