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| Photo source: Notonthehighstreet |
Getting children involved in food prep
I’ve been trying to get my preschooler to participate more in the
kitchen, namely in meal prep and baking (mopping it would be nice too, but baby
steps). It’s well-known that there are many positive lessons little ones can
learn in the kitchen: food can be fun, chemistry of raw vs cooked ingredients,
spending quality time with parents, motor skills, safety, appreciating the
effort put into a meal before it gets on the plate. Participating in food
preparation has actually made my son more curious about new flavours and
willing to try foods he previously refused.
However, my one problem is this: when it comes to following a
recipe, I lose him. I show him a photo of the final product, I read the recipe
aloud, presenting each ingredient in turn and the amount for him to mix in.
But, the reality is that he’s only 3, it goes over his head and he easily gets
bored.
So, I searched the trusty internet for picture recipes that can engage little minds. I was surprised that I didn’t find very many dedicated resources, but I did came across this lovely site with illustrated recipes targeting toddlers: teenytinyfoodie
So, I searched the trusty internet for picture recipes that can engage little minds. I was surprised that I didn’t find very many dedicated resources, but I did came across this lovely site with illustrated recipes targeting toddlers: teenytinyfoodie
They’ve obviously put a lot of thought into creating fun, easy
recipes, presented at the children’s level. Those milkshakes are going on my
summer to-do list!
DIY child-friendly recipes
When it comes to replicating favourite family recipes, I think
the best thing is to put our creative hats on and draw the recipe on paper for
them. I’ve started with our all-round favourite, blueberry muffins, and hope to
put together a binder with more recipes soon. I found that this format was much more engaging for him. He loved reading out the numbers and
recognising the ingredients (mother’s illustrations permitting!). The best part
was, of course, tasting the ingredients along the way!
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| Original recipe from: RadiantLife (Spot where my son sprayed the recipe with water!) |
On a final note, if you’re reading this and are entrepreneurial and tech-savvy, what I think would be great is a site with a directory of visual ingredients where users can put together their own illustrated recipes for kids and print them off. For extra profit, you could even offer a bound recipe book of their recipes - I’d pay for that!
But, on the off-chance that that business venture doesn't prove to
be as profitable as I’ve made it out to be, parents of little kids, let’s get
drawing/chopping/demonstrating the joys of food...whatever works to get your
little ones exploring in the kitchen!