Food fun
Kids in the Kitchen By Jennifer Yoon RDN, LDN, IBCLC
An alternative title for this article might be “Getting Your Kids to Help in the Kitchen without Making Extra Work for Yourself”. Guided by practicality, I dismiss many “kid friendly recipes” as too elaborate and time consuming to put into practice. But kids really can be helpful in the kitchen when given age and developmentally appropriate tasks. Bonus: kids are more likely to eat when they are involved in food selection Grace M., Age 10 and preparation. This table provides guidance for developmentally appropriate food preparation tasks for kids. Skills and comfort levels can vary widely, so it’s always safest to use the skill-building approach – I show you, we do it together, you show me. Also in the interest of safety, teach children to cut on a secure cutting board, cutting away from their hand, holding the food with their fingers curled under. Cutting the vegetable in half lengthwise and placing cut side down is safer since the vegetable or fruit isn’t rolling about. A great way to get kids involved in the kitchen AND encourage snacking on fruits and vegetables is to enlist the help of your
Gia F., Age 6
kids to make selections at the grocery store or farmer’s market. Prepping and storing a variety of fruits and vegetables to store in containers makes them readily available for snacking or quickprep meals. Examples of vegetables that store well are peppers, cucumbers, carrots, zucchini, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, and salad greens (a salad spinner for storage is ideal). Fruits to prep ahead include oranges, pineapple, and melons. Youngest children can wash the fruits and vegetables. Younger elementary children can peel and cut softer fruits and vegetables. Older elementary and
Crunchy Breakfast Tacos https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/kids-can-make-crunchy-breakfast-tacos-3364407 Taco Cheeseburger https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/kids-can-make-taco-cheeseburger-3362802 Roasted Turkey and Basil Cream Cheese Pinwheels https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/kids-can-make-roasted-turkey-and-basilcream-cheese-pinwheel-sandwiches-3362682 Grace Y., Age 17
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AHN Pediatrics-Pediatric Alliance • Spring 2020 • www.ahnpediatrics.org
