Encouraging the kids to be in the kitchen isn’t a new concept for me. For years I’ve urged the kids to help with prep work, work in the garden, choose dinner menus and to try new foods. Even as toddlers and young children their play kitchens were just extensions of the real kitchen in our home.
Playing with pretend cupcakes and ice cream is always fun but I’ve been able add teachable moments by incorporating healthy play food and accessories.
This is one my favorite videos of Shae playing in her kitchen 3 years ago, preparing a stir fry meal.
Shae is 6 now but still regularly plays with her kitchen and loves the wide array of food choices she can serve while she plays restaurant. She especially loves to serve sandwiches, wraps and tacos. There are so many combinations with the ingredients that it becomes a game if she can remember everything.
We explain that adding veggies to a sandwich or switching from a big roll to a tortilla wrap makes that meal more healthy. These lessons carry over in real life as she asks for these choices to be packed in her real life lunch box.
Did you have fun in the “kitchen” this week? Did you try a new food or a new kid friendly restaurant? Did your littlest ones use their snacks to count to 10? We invite you to share your experiences, photos, stories or recipes that include your #kidsinthekitchen.
Come join me and my co-hosts, Paula at Frosted Fingers and Sara at Sensibly Sara, Lisa of HooplaPalooza and Sarah of Play2LearnwithSarah each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.
- preparing healthy snacks
- having a tea party
- counting skills with m&ms
- pouring from measuring cups
- discovering a local restaurant that your kids love
- creating new family friendly recipes
Don’t have a blog? Share an instagram photo or Facebook update.
Give your kids healthy food choices while playing pretend with this giveaway of Play Food from Gummylump.com. Enter to win a Felt Food Sandwich Set and a Felt Food Taco & Burrito Set from LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! just by telling us what other play food choice your child would love.
EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry above. Please note the changes to the entries and frequency, entries that don’t follow rules may be disregarded/ignored/deleted
- SUBSCRIBE to LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! via NEW Email Subscription or BlogLovin
- SHARE this giveaway on your social networks such as Facebook, Google +, Pinterest, Stumble Upon or Other (let me know where you shared)
- LIKE LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! and GummyLump on Facebook
- SUBSCRIBE to Gummylump’s newsletter
- FOLLOW Mom, Dad and Gummylump on Twitter and TWEET this giveaway (1 time per day), please leave your twitter link each time: Super Fun Play Food #giveaway from @gummylump & @lkwhtmomfound @anddadtoo http://bit.ly/16tUZ3y #pretendplay #kidsinthekitchen
- ENTER another Giveaway – let us know which one in the comment
- COMMENT on any other Review/Our Life/Our Travels/Our Thoughts post, let us know where to find it
Your entries must follow the rules or they won’t be eligible for prizes. This contest ends 11:59 pm, Friday, October 11, 2013. The winners will be emailed and will have 48 hours to claim their prize. This contest is open to Contiguous US residents, age 18 or over. For complete rules please read our blog contest rules page.
