Teaching Tools – IKEA to the rescue!

EdHealth uses the IKEA food toy sets to help people with an intellectual disability or hearing impairment learn more about their food and how it affects their body and glucose levels.

They are a cheap, washable alternative, to the often expensive plastic food models. They add a sensory component to the learning, making them even more effective.

IKEA Breakfast toys

Pictured above is the breakfast set but there is also the:

  • 14 piece vegetable set
  • 9 piece fruit set
  • 5 piece serving stand with cup cakes
  • 12 piece shopping basket set.

I have purchased them all using the various foods to discuss changing to healthier eating. Here are some examples of how I use them:

  • Using the breakfast set above, I show people that you can remove the bacon from a sandwich but add extra vegetables like lettuce (the toy has leaves that can be removed and put into the sandwich), tomato, cucumber, for a tasty, low fat option.
  • Talk about cake as a sometimes food.
  • Ask a person to pick out the healthy food options and put them into a basket.

To find out more go to the IKEA website or go and see them for yourself in the children’s section of your local IKEA.