Nutrition

Sweetcorn provides a good source of fibre to support digestion as well as vitamins C and B plus minerals magnesium and potassium that help to keep our bodies healthy.

Shopping Guide

The kernels of corn on the cob should be firm and the colour can vary between yellow and white. Tinned and frozen sweetcorn should be easy to find in your local supermarket all year round. 

Storage

Tinned and frozen sweetcorn is easy to store, but to store whole fresh corn, keep the husks on if they come in them (or wrap tightly in foil if not). These can be kept in the fridge for up to a week. Baby corn should be kept in its original packaging or sealed in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days.

Preparation

You can either boil them, or grill them – they are great on the BBQ.  Whichever method, cook until soft then add some butter, and sprinkle with pepper, salt, maybe a squeeze of lemon. A bag of frozen sweet corn, just like frozen peas, is a sweet staple to pull out of the freezer when you need a quick side portion.

Kids in the Kitchen

For a younger child, why not show them how to cook corn on the cob the easiest way you can – by popping frozen ones in a microwaveable bowl and pushing the buttons on the microwave. Let them be in charge of the side dish under your supervision, even spreading a little butter and black pepper over it before serving so they can take pride in a simple but delicious side dish!

For an older child, it could be a great opportunity to teaching stove skills and how to carefully use the hob by simmering some corn cobs until bright yellow and ready to eat, or by adding baby corn or tinned corn to a stir fry or pasta sauce.

Find more ideas for involving kids in the kitchen here.

Sensory

Try exploring different kinds of sweetcorn through touch. Feeling the bumps and texture of a corn on the cob is a great way to stimulate imaginations and get some brilliant descriptive language around what it reminds you of! Having baby corn, frozen corn and/or tinned sweetcorn also gives you the chance to explore the different textures of corn and how that may impact our experience (and like or dislike) of it. Which texture is the favourite? What does each different type feel like and make you think of?

Watch our video from Ruth Platt for a visual guide to exploring sweetcorn with your senses here. Find more sensory ideas, tips and videos here. If you get stuck and need a little help with describing words, we have a selection for you here, too!

Serving

Next time you cook a meal with sweetcorn and want to give your child an extra opportunity to get involved and engaged before eating, why not ask them to create a yellow coloured centrepiece for the table? Can they find all yellow items that make for an attractive display to match the corn?

Find the best ways of involving your own child and their skills and interests on our Roles for Kids page.

Activities

Why not try making a sweetcorn face mask a cut-out and colour sweetcorn, or veg crown?

Or grab some of our free games & puzzles with sweetcorn like our Sweetcorn Secret Code game or our So Corny wordsearch?

Kids more interested in science? Try Stefan Gates’ videos here. Why not try his Exploring Colour and Shape experiment with fresh corn cobs still in their husks?

Find loads more free sweetcorn-themed crafts here and games here.