Engaging under 3yo in the kitchen

Children under 3 are too young to join in cooking activities, but there are still ways to engage them in the kitchen, while you’re busy preparing food for the family!

Here are 10 useful tips for you! (adapted from http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/)

1. Leave plastic containers, inexpensive pans, plastic silverware and wooden spoons on a bottom shelf in your kitchen. Toddlers will learn the kitchen isn’t totally off limits to them and while you are cooking they can join in the fun with their own dishes.
2. Buy a kitchen play set with dishes and play food, or create your own. Collect cardboard food boxes and plastic containers. You can even build a play kitchen with a large cardboard box and your imagination. Get down and play cooking or grocery shopping with your toddler.
3. Help them learn about cooking by example. Show them the bubbles (at a far distance) boiling in a saucepan or your messy hands while kneading dough. Put them in their high chair while you are cooking and let them look at a different angle.
4. Teach them kitchen safety early. Teach your toddlers what is hot and what not to touch in the kitchen.
5. Tasting good homemade food is a good start to learning and growing in the kitchen, also.
6. Let them eat with the rest of the family. If they can’t wait for a late dinnertime give them a later snack to tide them over. Hungry toddlers make for a more stressful dinner preparation.
7. Teach them new words while you are cooking. The names of fruits, vegetables or items you are using in the kitchen are a good start. Even if they are too little to understand what you are saying, they will understand you are talking to them. And even though you are busy cooking they will feel involved in what you are doing.
8. Protect your curious toddler from the dangers in the kitchen. Cook on the back burner or at least make sure the handles to pots and pans are facing towards the back. Have child locks under the kitchen sink. Place breakable dishes and glasses up high.
9. Make snacks accessible or at least in the same location so your toddler will know how to communicate to you that they are hungry. This is especially important when they can’t talk yet.
10. Talk about your five senses in the kitchen. Point out that wonderful smell is dinner cooking in the oven, which they can smell with their nose. Let your toddler feel how soft flour is, compared to coarse sugar.

The early exposure will help your toddler to learn that the kitchen is not so dangerous after all! And by encouraging them to explore (safely of course), don’t be surprise when your child spouts that new word about food!