Easy things that a toddler can do in the kitchen

Do you have to shoo off your child as they follow you to the kitchen? Guess what? You shouldn’t do that. There can be ample learning opportunities for children in the kitchen. Most of them are not messy. Yay! Now most of us would wonder what can a child, a mere toddler do? Well, children love to surprise us. Play is work for them. These adorable cute munchkins can be great helpers. Without further ado, let’s find out things that a toddler can do in the kitchen.

Peel onion and garlic pods

Onions and garlic pods fascinate children. Many crawlers and walkers would sit for some minutes just to peel layers from both. Why not engage them and let them work on some fine motor skill or counting practice as they peel off layers.

Put groceries away

We discovered the joy of involving toddlers with this.

Once you are home after groceries and veggies shopping, get the toddler to keep things in place. Bread on the high shelves, spices on racks, fruits on a table, let the child feel authority and confidence.

Washing vegetables and fruits

Many families have a healthy habit of washing mud or pesticides off vegetables and fruits after purchase. Let your little helper help you here. When going to make mashed potatoes or bitter gourd curry get your toddler a pot with water and brush to scrub.

Measure and scoop

Adding that 1 tablespoon of yogurt to a salad or a pinch of cumin powder to raita can be done by your sous chef. Ask your child to assist you in getting 1 cup of flour for the dough. Surprisingly, they are working on language, maths and instructions all with the little help.

Scooping and transferring is a fine motor skill as well as a life skill. Did I mention the sensory experience?

If rice is a staple food for your lunch, let the toddler scoop and transfer the needful, say 3 cups.

Pour

Your toddler most probably gets captivated with tiny materials like grains, lentils and more. (Skipping dirt) Cheer your child to dry pour, a cup of rice to the pan. Add more variation by changing the size of objects and vessels. He would learn a life skill with practice and you patience.

Wet pouring or water pouring is another way to involve the child. Ask him to pour water in rice pot from a jug or bottle. With time graduate to pouring in a glass of water or pouring juice from a juicer.

If you are Montessori enthusiast then, dry and wet pouring is a popular activity for children. In the kitchen, they find the purpose of the skill.

The rice scooped and transferred by a toddler in point 3, can be poured in pan. Let toddlers add water in a pan. Oh yes, there might be some spills.

Wipe

Hoot for your kid to wipe the countertops for spills during and after cooking. Not only here the hand muscles, but hand eye coordination and instructions are also practiced, they learn about the importance of cleanliness.

Cutting

Okay, this has sounded scary to you. Got your back there, smile!

Start with play tools and then move for crinkle knives. Arm your child with a blunt knife to slice bananas for milkshakes. You can also use blunt grinder spatula to chop cottage cheese.

Whip

Pancakes anyone? Kids love them. Encourage them to help you in making one. Let them whip the batter.

They can also whip dhokla, dosa and idly batter for you. Are you getting ideas for involving them for the next meal?

Smash

Masala tea with smashed ginger, cardamom, and black pepper is our favorite. If it is you are just like us, get your little chef to smash all masalas. Remember not to leave them alone with peddle and mortar. You can also use your child’s wooden hammer here.

Add garlic pods smashed by a toddler for tadka.

Peeling

That pincer grip of your toddler needs repeated practice and the kitchen offers multiple ways to work on that.

Does your little one love oranges? Fantastic. Mine loves that. It is healthy and makes a good mid-day snack. Offer your toddler to peel it and eat. There would be mess, frustration, at times cries. But once they figure out the way, they grow more independent. On days you are busy they can grab one and feed. Parent win!

Potatoes in curries and masala dosa complete a dish. Children can work on fine motors to peel boiled potatoes skin.

Other than orange and potatoes let them peel boiled eggs. That’s another satisfying fun for a toddler to tap on countertop or tables and peel.

During winters peeling peas is a must for us.

Mashing

Mashing potatoes is fun and promotes wrist movements and handgrip. You can get your toddler’s help to bake a banana cake with mashed bananas too.

Wipe cutlery

While parents are burdened with the workload, they never realize the potential of little helpers at home. Give your children a cutlery wipe cloth and watch them wipe spoons, cups. Avoid breakable things initially and once they are pro introduce glass or ceramic crockery.

Have your brows frowned again? Okay, understand that with a gradual introduction of a breakable item they would learn to take care. Of course, you can skip that for later. Your call.

If you have a dishwasher, let them unload the clean ones.

Sort Cutlery

Sorting or discriminating objects help toddlers to understand the environment. Encouraging toddler to sort spoons, forks and knives help them to interpret the difference and similarities of objects. Keeping plates one above another or based on size – largest in the bottom, smallest on top. Each work on your child’s cognitive development.

Tear leaves

If you are one who tears leaves for dishes, call for toddler’s help. Let them tear spinach, curry leaves, coriander for you. Tearing is another fine motor exercise and toddlers often love to tear papers. Use that skill for rehearsal.

Make juice

Though we prefer to eat fruit over juice, sweet limes are exceptions at our home.

If you want to make juice with citrus fruits, search for your ever ready to help a child. Teach them how to make juice and have fun.

Crack egg

Confession, our 3 years old is yet to master this spill-free. But every time he cracks one, he is pleased about making an omelet.

The talent of hitting egg with a tool (we use a fork), cracking it just above the bowl, stirring it, sprinkling salt and crushing pepper, adding chopped veggies before giving authority to adult is a wholesome experience. Do you agree?

Kneading dough and rolling

Dare I start making the chapati process without our toddler. Just like the rice making process, the little helper works from scratch.

Bring the flour box and vessel, scoop flour, transfer and pour in a vessel, pour water from a glass.  Then assist in kneading.

Do you know a friend of mine was suggested to involve her daughter in kneading dough? As it promotes wrist movement, grip strength, shoulder flex and is a sensory activity.

Rolling dough is another fun as toddlers balance the rolling pins, exert pressure to flatten it.

Flip the pancake

Pancake lovers not only whip the batter if given the opportunity they can flip. Of course, adults have to be vigilant there. Flipping dosa would probably be done at a later time it is tricky being thin. But the thick uthappams can be done by the sous chef.  

Load the grinder

Much before whipping dosa batter, toddlers can actually help in making of batter by loading them in a grinder.

A much bonding activity at home for Mr.Fabulous, my husband and Penguin is making dosa and idly batter. Junior loads the grinder with help of scoopers and pour the batter in bowls later.

Pack food in a tiffin box

During trips, we often carry homemade food. Our toddler helps us to pack tiffin boxes. Like putting chapati in a box and putting lid. Hopefully, once he starts schooling, we would make packing food a habit. It would be our tiffin-box conversation starter. As if he doesn’t speak a million sentences in a day now.

As of now he serves bread or chapati to guests during meals and asks others if they need more.

Fill water bottles

We should stay hydrated and teaching the same to a toddler in real life is a must. Ask your little girl or boy to help you refill water bottles. Let them unscrew caps, fill bottles with water from purifier and screw caps back.

How do you involve toddlers in the kitchen? I’m all ears. Do let me know in the comments.

I am growing my blog with Surbhi from Prettymummasays.com and Neha from SharingourExperiences.com

Picture credits – Alexia Schu and LaterJay Photography from Pixabay