Involving Kids in Meal Preparation
Using a Restaurant Game at Home to Make Cooking Fun Every Night
Jul 1, 2009
For many parents, the hour before dinner is the most stressful hour of the day. They are simultaneously trying to fix a meal and keep the kids occupied and entertained. Enlisting the help of even the youngest child while cooking and setting the table in this fun restaurant game will revolutionize the typical household's evening.
Opening a Pretend Family Restaurant
Announce to children that the kitchen is now becoming the [Last Name] Family Restaurant. The restaurant will be serving dinner every night, but will need the following essential staff members:
- Junior Chef
- Host or Hostess
Depending on the number of children in the household, the restaurant personnel list can be adapted. Additional jobs like busboy, dishwasher, and so on may be added. The children will be taking turns each night performing each task when it's time to make dinner.
Make a Job Wheel
The whole point of designating a junior chef, host/ess, busboy, and so on is to get help in the kitchen and make dinner prep less stressful. But nightly bickering over whose turn it is to do which job will only increase stress, so it's best to eliminate fights before they start by making a job wheel:
- Use a compass to cut two large, identical circles: one from cardboard, the other from regular white paper.
- Cut a much smaller circle from colored cardstock or construction paper. Attach it to the center of the white paper circle with a brad. Glue onto the cardboard circle.
- Divide the white circle into pieces of pie, one per every child in the household.Let them decorate their piece of pie and label with their name.
- On the colored paper, write the names of the dinnertime jobs.
- Attach a magnet to the back and stick it to the refrigerator.
Now kids can just turn the wheel each night to see who does what, and the job wheel can be the bad guy when a child doesn't get his or her favorite job on a certain night.
Responsibilities of the Junior Chef
The junior chef's job is to assist the senior chef (i.e: the parent) in preparing the meal. Make sure that children always wash their hands first!
Tasks should always be tailored to the age of the child. Some appropriate tasks for toddlers or preschoolers could include:
- locating skillets, mixing bowls, or measuring cups
- washing veggies
- adding chopped ingredients to the bowl
- stirring ingredients in a pot
- dumping ingredients from pre-filled measuring cups
- pressing buttons on the microwave
Older children could assist with reading recipes and measuring out ingredients. Cooking with kids is one of the most positive educational experiences a parent can give their child. See "What Kids Learn By Cooking" for ideas on making the most of this teaching opportunity.
Responsibilities of the Host or Hostess
The host or hostess can begin her job just as dinner is finishing up and cooling off. He or she should set the table with all necessary dishes, utensils, and cups. Napkins, placemats, and so on can also be a part of his or her job. Kids enjoy assigning every family member to a spot at the table and calling everyone to the table when the job is finished.
It's important to put dishes away in a place where kids can reach them if they are to be the host or hostess every evening. A large plastic bin of plastic kids' dishes, cups, and silverware should be placed in a low cupboard.
If possible, the host or hostess should be able to set the adults' places at the table, too. This would, of course, require investing in non-breakable plates and glasses.
Playing the restaurant game at home will make dinner prep a time kids look forward to daily. Giving toddlers and preschoolers a constructive way to be a part of mealtime preparation reduces stress for parents and keeps kids occupied and happy during one of the busiest times of the day.
Readers might also enjoy "20+ Creative Lunch Ideas: Getting Kids Involved at Mealtime."
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