Encourage parents to include children in the food preparation. There are many good reasons for involving kids in food preparation:
- quality time spent with kids and their parents/caregivers
- the opportunity for kids to learn how to cook
- kids are more likely to eat new foods that they've helped prepare.
From the SNAP-Ed Connection Resource Finder:
- Get Cooking I. Chef-K.
- Kids in the Kitchen. University of Missouri Extension.
- Cooking with Kids Integrated Curriculum. Cooking with Kids, Inc.
Online resources:
- Cooking with Children Tips & Recipes. (PDF | 506 KB) Utah State University Extension.
- Let's Cook! Class Curriculum for Children. (PDF | 11.8 MB) Washington State Department of Health.
- Cooking with Children Curriculum for Adults with Children. (PDF | 1.21 MB) New York State Department of Health.
- Microwave Cooking: Keep Kids Safe. (PDF | 2.1 MB) Homefoodsafety.org.
- Choking Prevention. American Academy of Pediatrics.
- Kids Rock Nutrition in the Kitchen. Video and recipes. USDA. ARS. NAL. Nutrition.gov.
But don't stop there. Kids love to play in the water...and soap bubbles just make it that much more fun. Encourage parents and caregivers to let them help with the dishes!
