By Srujana Srinath
Like most families, a significant portion of our daily routine is spent around food. What’s for breakfast, snack, lunch, another snack, dinner and maybe a late-night snack? During the current pandemic, we are forced to dedicate even more time in the kitchen than before. So it’s natural that while I’m cooking I want to find ways to get my daughter involved and spend that time with her. With a little bit of prep work, extra time and patience, you and your little one can build quality time in the kitchen.
What are the benefits?
Having your preschooler help with the cooking teaches valuable life skills and keeps them occupied while you prepare the meals. There are long term benefits as well; early introduction helps in building confidence, independence and good problem-solving skills. Kids who help out to cook are also less likely to be picky eaters and more likely to enjoy a wide variety of foods.
One kitchen tool that is worth investing time and money is finding a step-stool that your toddler can easily climb up to reach the countertop. There are many good products on the market and the one that worked well for us is the Guidecraft Kitchen Helper.
The kitchen can be a place for new traditions
Checkout our previous blog post on Creating your own Family Traditions to learn how defining your own traditions can be an essential part of your family. The kitchen is a great place to create those traditions. We have a morning ritual that starts with cutting a wide variety of fruits and my daughter’s little hands are safe with these nylon knife sets. It may get a little messy but it’s worth the effort. Apart from Saturday mornings being dedicated to father-daughter waffle making, we also have taco breakfasts to satisfy our Tex-mex palate and make guacamole as a post-nap snack. Guacamole pairs well with crunchy and low-sodium tortilla chips that your toddler will quickly devour. Here is a recipe to try, your little one will love pounding the avocados while you mix in the ingredients:
2 ripe avocados
¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
¼ cup of minced red onion
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
A dash of freshly grated black pepper
½ of a ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
Sensory and fine motor skills
Washing dishes is one non-cooking task that I love setting up for my daughter. She has now done it enough times to understand the importance of conserving water and using little soap. For a safe setup, make sure to leave a few dishes that are safe for her to handle, usually her spoons and cups or any plastic and stainless steel utensils. Watch how they quickly pick up on the differences in material and they will let us know what is safe for them to use. Clear out everything around the sink and keep the drying rack empty because it may get a little splashy. Usually this task lasts for 10 to 15 minutes for us and that’s a time I get to relax.
In our kitchen, we often cook rice and lentils a lot, so I naturally end up asking my daughter to help me with rinsing them. This is another great sensory activity for them. With cooking rice, they can learn about measurements and watch how heat and water when combined with rice makes the rice soft. Under adult supervision, you can let them play with the settings on the rice cooker and feel the steam from the rice cooker as it’s getting cooked.
Home baking is a great way to spend these holidays with your family. If you are looking for something new and easy to make with your sous-chef, here are some simple and healthy sweets to try.
Do your kids help out in the kitchen? Please share!