Washing dishes, watering herbs, pouring milk, peeling, playing with dough, etc. These are the life experiences we grew up learning, practical life skills that make children feel proud and important, especially in the kitchen!
Studies have shown that the best way for children to learn is through experiences. Therefore, in terms of kitchen skills, it is great for children to engage in the activity by using real tableware and ingredients for active learning and practice.
From counting and measuring ingredients to reading recipes; all the way through the process to actual cooking, a lot can be learned from the interesting processes and techniques, practiced in the kitchen! That’s why we have decided to share some interesting, engaging and hands-on kitchen activities for you and your kids to do together!
Playing with water (“washing the dishes”)
Fill the sink with warm water, give your children some kitchen utensils and one or two containers, and let them play. Expect the floor and kids to be wet, but that’s all part of the plan. Before they start playing, first, put down a towel, which helps speed up the cleaning. The rule is not to sprinkle or pour water on the counter or floor deliberately. Your kids will usually follow the rules because they want to be able to continue playing. Let them explore their task by using their developing senses and curiosity to excite them while also teaching them!
Play-Doh
This is something that may happen more frequently than other activities, everyone loves to play with play-doh. When you work in the kitchen, they can play at the kitchen island, or the table. Engaging your child in the rolling of the dough and perhaps even cutting out different shapes, helps them to develop the muscles in their fingers and hands. This will also teach the child concentration along with fine motor skills.
Play-doh is great for fine motor skills development
When the children are busy rolling, poking, and squeezing the dough, they are strengthening the muscles of their fingers and hands. These same muscles are used for later skills, gripping and holding a pencil. When children use their hands to shape the dough, they are also improving hand-eye coordination. When children shape the dough in different ways (pushing, pulling, squeezing, rolling, chopping, etc), they are unknowingly learning new abilities which will help them later in life.
Children friendly recipes
Letting your children become messy in the kitchen is a great learning experience for them. Cooking for themselves is a life skill they will need to learn. Therefore, we recommend you try out this salad with your family, in the kitchen!
The trick to getting your kids to eat more healthy food? Letting them create their own “salad in a jar!” Give it a try and be sure to have lots of FUN!
Fruit and Grain Salad
Ingredients:
Salad:
- 1 cup cooked pearled barley or farro (whole grain)
- 2 apples, cored and chopped (Honeycrisp or Pink Lady)
- 3 cups grapes (red or green) halved
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ⅔ cups chopped dates
Dressing:
- 1 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsps water
In a smaller bowl, add ingredients for the dressing and stir to mix thoroughly.
To layer in mason jars, add yogurt dressing to the bottom of the jar, and then add chopped apples first. Top with the sliced grapes, followed by the dried fruits. Next, layer with cooked grain and top with the chopped walnuts. Seal with an airtight lid and store in the refrigerator to eat later!
Or, you can let your kids decide which veggies or fruits to use. This will make the salad more personal and they will love it! Try these activities out with your children, and hopefully, you will have more fun with your kids in the future! Stay tuned for the next, Kids in the Kitchen!
