I’m a mom of eight kids, and the hardest part of the day is meal times. Not only does prepping the food take awhile, but you also have to handle the kids grumbling and trying to keep them calm.
However, during the holiday season it is even worse! How do you handle a crying baby, exuberant toddler, fighting kids, and a grumpy teen? It doesn’t have to be like that though and you DON’T have to do all the work! Let the kids help!
Toddler Time
Toddlers are the hardest. They eat, well try to eat everything and make a mess. But here are a few jobs that they can do-
Sanitary Specialist: Wash hands, put on an apron and discuss how to correctly measure ingredients. And remind them not to eat the ingredients as you prepare them.
Super Scooper: For ingredients that don’t need to be measured perfectly, let him scoop the measuring cup and dump the goods into the proper place. A simple green bean casserole is tough to mess up. Avoid doing this with baked goods, which need to be precisely measured.
Can Opener: Electric, safe-edge can openers make life so much easier, plus you can help your little one learn how to safely open cans with it. Let him open the condensed milk and pour into the pumpkin pie puree himself.
Relish Tray Artist: Letting your little one put carrots, celery and olives onto the relish tray gives him great sorting practice. It’s helpful to have a segmented tray for the task. Try out this Good Housekeeping Relish Tray recipe for some inspiration.
Utensil Utilizer: It’s just more fun to stir the squash casserole with a colorful Head Chefs spoon than with a boring stainless steel one! Since it’s a hefty splurge, grab a coupon code before ordering.
Elementary Kids
Older kids have more muscle control and ability in the kitchen–and are still enthusiastic to help! Not only can they learn simple cooking tips, but also reinforce key concepts they’re learning in school. From adding fractions and experimenting with properties of liquids to reading and following directions, cooking is academics in action.
Meat Monitor: Help your child learn about the meat thermometer–stick it in several foods and liquids of varying temperatures. Then explain how hot it should be inside the turkey so that it’s completely cooked (180° deep in the thigh). Have her check on the turkey as it cooks to watch the temperature rise.
Cookie Decorator: Elementary-aged kids have a blast icing sugar cookies (plus it takes them a long time so you can make good progress on other dishes). Bake, cut and cook the cookies ahead of time, then help your child learn how to hold the icing bag so it doesn’t squirt out of the end.
Mix Master: For simple foods like stuffing or mashed sweet potatoes, let your child dig in with their hands to mix the food. Help him use the rubber scraper to incorporate all the ingredients as well.
Recipe Reader: Give your child free access to gather goods–especially larger items in the pantry. Sharpen their literacy skills with new food terminology and turn ingredient gathering into a scavenger hunt.
Teens
Teens can be a big help if you can get them to put down the cell phone and iPod. (I know from experience! I have a teenage daughter and she has that “thing” in her ears 24/7!)
Let your teens make some dishes on their own. Despite their bad attitudes most days, they really can do more then we give them credit for. And when everyone at Christmas dinner finds out that THEY made the pie, they will be so proud!They can do just about anything if they are in charge!
However, if your son or daughter isn’t into cooking, then get them to do these other jobs.
Home Decor Hostess: For the kiddo who doesn’t care to be in the kitchen, recruit his or her decorating and cleaning sensibilities elsewhere. Let her arrange the place settings with fancy napkin folding and put him on
post-cooking clean-up duty.
Coupon Clipper: Get your older child on board with saving money! Challenge him to use that smart phone for something other than excessive texting, and have him use a mobile coupon app from sites like CouponSherpa.com to
save on items in your Thanksgiving shopping list. Incentivize savings by giving him the difference on the retail cost of the food items and the amount he actually spends. The more he saves, the more he gets back in cash!
Cake Kings and Queens: For the uptight cook who just can’t let go, give your teen a dessert recipe (or let him pick his own). If it bombs, it’s just one of many desserts.
Babysitter: If none of these jobs appeal to them and the toddlers are tired of baking, then put your teen to work at watching the kids. Hopefully, you won’t find the kids in front of the TV and your teenager texting again.
What do you do to include your kids around the Holiday’s?
