It's All About the Mess!
My absolute favorite thing to do with my son is cook. It's something special that he does with only me and it creates such sweet memories. He gets so excited and actually kicks his daddy out of the kitchen. Take advantage of your extra help and put your kiddos to work! They will love the any job that you give them to do. This creates independence and helps them become more confident. Below are just a few things that we enjoy cooking together in my family. You will find that they can do more and more as they get older. I have attached a chart that gives you ideas for cooking together based on age brackets.
Activities Great for Young Toddlers (2-3years old) 1. Pigs in a blanket- Let your kids use crescent rolls and help roll the hot dogs up in the dough. Allow them to place on the cookie sheet so they are ready to bake. 2. Homemade pizza- This is my son's absolute favorite food to make with me! Flour and grease a pan. Give them a ball of dough and then let them flatten it out to their desired shape. Next, have bowls of sauce and cheese ready. Again, let them spread their sauce with a spoon and choose how much cheese they want on their pizza. Finally, have them pick their own toppings and let them go crazy. These can bake at 425 for 18-20 minutes and are a great dinner that is customized for everyone in the family. 3. Cookies and brownies- Kids love to help mix, pour in flour and sugar, and add toppings like chocolate chips and nuts. Plus, you can't make cookies without testing the dough and batter out so they have to lick the spoon or bowl :) I know this is highly frowned upon by some but I grew up doing it and turned out okay! 4. Breadsticks, biscuits, rolls, soft pretzels- These are all great foods where they can easily step in and help. Make the dough up in advance and then allow your toddler to help roll, flatten, and place bread onto the cookie sheet to bake. They are amazed when they watch through the oven door and see their food getting bigger and bigger and bigger! 5. Setting the table- Our son helps do this at every meal. We created a cabinet down low that houses plastic plates, cups, bowls, utensils, and bibs. He goes over before every meal and gets everything that he and his sister will need. He puts his items at his spot on the table and puts hers on top of her high chair. This helps me and makes him feel like an important part of the family. 6. Washing dishes- A fun and messy way for your children to help contribute to the family. Our toddler and preschooler like to work together to clean dishes. I personally pick out the dishes that I am comfortable with them washing (would not suggest your best china). We fill the one side of the sink with soapy water. They play and splash around in it for a long time and then finally wash the dishes. Our son rinses them and then makes a pile on the counter. I place them in the dishwasher. This activity keeps them busy for a good 30-45 minutes and is helps to contribute to our family. 7. Putting dishes away- Both of our children are already learning how to put their own dishes away. When I unload the dishwasher, they put their own plates, cups, bowls, and utensils in their cabinet. This makes them responsible for their cabinet and having clean dishes to eat on each day. 8. Packing snacks for daycare or outings- Let them put each item into the bag. Our son loves getting a baggie and counting out his snack items. For example, I may tell him to count out 12 grapes and put them into the baggie. He will count them out and put them into the bag. I help him zip the bags still. This is a great way to build counting skills and they don't even realize you're teaching :) Let them help you pick out the food that go into their bag each day. Explain that you want them to have a fruit, vegetable, grain, and protein. It won't be long before they start using that vocabulary. 9. Making smoothies- Involve them in the process of picking out the fruit, the flavor of yogurt, and adding everything into the blender. Our one year old even helps drop everything into the blender. Our kiddos love getting to do this and they are so proud when they drink what they helped to make. Appropriate Activities for Preschoolers (4-5 year olds) 10. Bagels and cream cheese- This sounds really simple but it is a great skill to help kids work on their fine motor skills. It is actually very challenging for them to hold the bagel with one hand and then spread cream cheese with the other. My son would get quite frustrated when we first started. 11. Pouring drinks from a pitcher- We are just starting to work on this skill and it can cause mommy to go crazy but I am a firm believer that it is great for motor skills as well. Have them practice by pouring water from one plastic cup to another. Once that is mastered, move from a large cup to a small cup. Gradually progressing will help ease the transition to a pitcher. 12. Salad- Preschoolers can easily help tear the lettuce for a salad. Obviously, make sure that hands are washed before beginning and then check the size of the lettuce pieces before serving. This is another fine motor activity that is fun and easy. It will allow you to get other parts of the meal ready while they are busy "playing." 13. Making PB&J sandwiches- Let them help pick out two pieces of bread. Lay out a plastic knife, jar of peanut butter, and jelly. Allow them to spread the PB&J on their bread. This is another great fine motor activity. |