We all want to be that fun parent that lets flour fly all over our kitchen, while my kids laugh and we spend quality time together. But we all know that the mess doesn’t magically cleans itself up. Learning to coexist in the kitchen with young children doesn’t come natural to the perfectionist, time-saving parent that most of us are. Here's a list to help plan fun, learning activities that you can easily include your child in, even at their young age.
Kitchen activity ideas for young kids
At 2 Years
· Wipe tables and counters
· Put items in the trash
· Rinse fruits and vegetables
· Count foods
· Name color of foods
· Name foods
· Bring play kitchen toys into the real kitchen and 'cook' together
At 3 Years
· Help stir ingredients
· Help shape foods (knead dough, make meatballs, roll cookie dough)
· Put ingredients on pizza
· Load dishwasher
· Help clear table
· Pretend cook with cheap ingredients/spices
· 'Wash' non-sharp dishes in sink — they'll have fun playing in soapy water!
· Pour pre-measured items into ingredient bowl
· Learn to wash hands before cooking
· Help set the table
· Stir lemonade
At 4 Years
· Set the table
· Peel fruits like bananas and oranges
· Use kid-safe knife (no blade) to 'cut' soft foods like butter, strawberries, bread, etc.
· Help measure ingredients
· Make simple recipes like sandwiches, bagel pizzas, lettuce wraps
· Snip green beans and help shuck corn
· Help put a veggie or fruit tray together neatly
At 5 Years
· Use dull knife to spread
· Set and clear table
· Help read recipe
· Clean and scrub potatoes, cucumbers, or other hard veggies
· Use cookie cutter
· Mix ingredients
· Frost cookies
Always Remember These General Kitchen Safety Tips
1. Wash hands prior to cooking.
2. Do not leave sharp or hot objects in accessible places for kids. Keep knives out of reach and pot handles turned in.
3. Do not let your kids go near a hot stove.
4. Test dishwater temperature before letting your kids help and make sure there are no sharp objects under dishwater.
5. Do not let your children use sharp objects.
6. Do not leave your children unattended while cooking, even during prep and clean-up