Get Your Little Foodies Involved in the Kitchen!

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Sometimes it can be hard to get kids to sit down for dinner, and even harder to get them help prepare it. Here are a few tips and tricks that will get your Little Foodies excited to be in the kitchen!

1.  Let them help prep.

As you go through a recipe, note the steps that aren’t knife or machine-heavy, such as snapping peas, measuring ingredients, stirring and tearing lettuce. 

2. Tell them to set the table however they please.

Is tonight dinosaur-themed dinner, or princess-themed dinner? Give your kids the freedom to choose. Themes may involve centerpiece decorations of favorite toys or decorated place cards that assign seats or a hand-colored menu. 

3. Assign them as taste testers. 

The taste tester is arguably the most important job in the kitchen; someone has to make sure the finished dish is perfect! Allowing kids to take on this special role will emphasize just how happy you are that they’re in the kitchen with you.   

4. Play a tasting game.

Get your Little Foodies to use their taste buds! Before or after dinner, place lone ingredients such as garlic, cinnamon, and other spices in individual unlabelled bowls. Have them taste the different ingredients one by one and guess what they are. 

5. Let them assemble their own plates. 

You may need to offer guidance when it comes to what exactly they put on their plates, but let them arrange their food in any shape or design. You may end up with a funny face, a flower, a volcano… who knows!

Get a free treat in your next G&G order by sharing how you’ve gotten your Little Foodies involved in the kitchen! Simply post a picture on Facebook, tag Garnish & Gather, and use the tag #gglittlefoodies.