10 Easy Ways to Turn Kids into Cooks this Holiday Season

Kids always want to help in the kitchen. Even though they sometimes slow you down, it’s nice to let kids help and learn. They will feel especially proud if you announce your kids’ cooking to holiday guests. Here are ten easy tasks for kids 3 and up to do.

Squeeze – Any kind of soft filling, like deviled egg filling or decorative icing, can be put in a pastry bag or plastic baggie (with corner cut out). Kids can then squeeze it out for you.
Rinse – Get kids a step stool and let them rinse vegetables in the sink.
Stir – Kids love to stir anything. Let them help stir mashed potatoes or batter in the mixing bowl.
Dump – After you fill your measuring cup, let your child dump the ingredients from the cup into the bowl.
Snap – Let kids snap the ends off fresh green beans.
Shuck – Kids will enjoy shucking corn.
Assemble – Let kids build vegetable platters, relish trays or cheese and cracker plates. Give them the cut up ingredients and let them stack and sort.
Chop – Kids can bang away on this Pampered Chef food chopper.
Spread – Allow kids to use a butter knife or spoon to spread toppings on cakes, cupcakes or cookies.

Photo by: YellowHouse

For Kids Under 3

Give toddlers their own items to ‘help’ with. Sit them down with bowls and spoons to bang around. Fill a big bowl with sugar or flour and give them small measuring cups to play with. It will feel like sandbox play. Let them mold and shape dough – it’s just like play dough! Even a box of uncooked spaghetti noodles is enough to keep them entertained as they move noodles from place to place, stack them or break them. There will surely be some clean up but any of these activities will buy you time in the kitchen and allow little kids to explore, play and embrace their creativity.

When you are cooking with kids, make sure to keep the kitchen safe in your Norfolk apartment. Keep sharp knives out of reach, keep kids’ hands away from hot stoves and make sure youngsters don’t swallow items they could choke on.

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