Cooking with Kids  
   
 

Children learn by touching, tasting, feeling, smelling and listening. They love to help prepare food and cook because they can use all their senses—and they like to eat the foods they make. Plan ways the children in your care can help you prepare meals and snacks. Be sure to consider the age of the child.

 
 
cooking with two year olds rolling dough baking with mom

Two-year-olds are learning to use the large muscles in their arms. They will enjoy activities such as:

  • scrubbing vegetables and fruits
  • wiping tables
  • dipping vegetables and fruits
  • tearing lettuce and salad greens
  • breaking bread for stuffing
  • snapping fresh beans

Three-year-olds are learning to use their hands. Try activities such as:

  • pouring liquids into a batter
  • mixing muffin batter
  • shaking a milk drink
  • spreading peanut butter on firm bread (This may be messy!)
  • kneading bread dough

Four- and five-year-olds are learning to control smaller muscles in their fingers. Offer them experiences such as:

  • rolling bananas in cereal for a snack
  • juicing oranges, lemons, and limes
  • mashing soft fruits and vegetables
  • measuring dry and liquid ingredients
  • grinding cooked meat for a meat spread
  • beating eggs with an egg beater
 
washing hands

IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER

  1. Good cooks of all ages always wash their hands before cooking.
  2. Tell children to wait until the dish is done before sampling it. This will help prevent illness.
  3. Expect spills and messes.
  4. Children have short attention spans. Give them quick, simple jobs and give instructions one at a time.
  5. Children get excited and forget. Repeat directions as often as needed.
  6. Young cooks need constant supervision.
  7. Give children jobs to help with cleanup.
   
 

TASTY TORTILLAS

flour tortillas, cooked ground beef, cheese, refried beans and other vegetables for tortilla filling

FUNNY, FRUITY PIZZAS

low-fat mozzarella cheese, English muffins, sliced in half (1 half per child) fruit (an apple, banana, orange, or seedless grapes)

Give a tortilla to each child. Fill with cooked ground beef, cheese, and/or vegetables.

Try Cabot's 50% Reduced Fat Pepper Jack cheese!

Have the children wash the fruit. Children can peel bananas and oranges or pluck grapes from their stems. An adult should cut the fruit into small pieces. Split the English muffins. Give each child one half. Sprinkle with cheese. Toast the English muffins until the cheese melts. Have each child top his or her muffin with fruit.

Try Cabot's yummy Mozzarella Shredded Cheese!

Courtesy of the National Network for Child Care Nncc.org and James E. Van Horn (Ed.) and Lyn Horning (Ed.) Better Kid Care Project Penn State University, University Park, PA