Ready to get your kids in the kitchen?
Getting your kids in the kitchen and involved with food prep is a great way help them appreciate healthy meals. Kids are a lot more likely to eat a broader range of foods and try new things if they have helped prepare it.
Even toddlers can help with some tasks if they are monitored carefully. Below are some tasks that will help various age groups get involved in the kitchen. Not all of these are appropriate for every age group, so see which ones are appropriate for your children.
Tasks for Kids In The Kitchen
Salad & Veggie Prep
Breaking apart lettuce and drying vegetables for a salad are easier tool-free tasks that children can help with. You could even let them use a salad spinner to dry produce. They will have fun watching it go round and round. They can also sprinkle in dry herbs, but you may want to pre-measure so they don’t sprinkle in too much. They can also help scrub veggies.
Dicing and Grating
Children who are old enough not to hurt their fingers can start grating and dicing. Cheese, ginger, carrots and other vegetables. They can also help take the seeds out of peppers and tomatoes. They can then work with measuring cups to measure the grated ingredients.
Kneading and Forming
Children love to help knead dough. They can form it into cookies or pastries. Kids can also help form ingredients into balls for patties and burgers. So, whether you are cooking or baking, you can involve kids in the blending of ingredients and measuring out the amounts for each ball.
Help With Recipes
Children that can read can call ingredients out to you from a recipe and help you gather the ingredients from around the kitchen. Choose simple, fun recipes like muffins with just a few ingredients to get them started. Children can improve their math skills as they help you measure out the ingredients.
Cleaning
Children can also help sanitize and clean down counters and kitchen surfaces, wash dishes, and set the table. Just make sure they are not using any harsh chemicals and that there are no sharp objects in the sink when they are washing. They can also help with the floors by sweeping and mopping.
The Kitchin has some great lists of task by age group: How Young Kids Can Help in the Kitchen: A List of Activities by Age
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