Build your own
One easy way to get kids involved in the cooking
is to give them the opportunity to make their
own choices. Try having a taco or potato bar
for dinner and offer a variety of toppings where
kids build their own meal. This works especially
well for toddlers who are not quite old enough
to do a lot of cooking but still want to help in the
kitchen. Other ideas may be building your own
pizza, making your own omelette, or pancakes.
These meals give kids the opportunity to sample
fruit or vegetables they may not otherwise try
and use a little creativity as well.
Grow your own
What better way to get kids to understand the
process involved in growing and harvesting food
than to plant a garden in your own backyard.
Allow the kids to use their creativity to decide
what foods your family would like to grow, plant
them, care for them, and harvest them. You may
need to make a trip to a local nursery to get a good
idea of what will grow in your climate. Once
they have their crop they can help plan meals
where they will use the produce they have and
sample it themselves. This is a great way to get
kids to try vegetables. If you are short on yard
space, look into container gardening for things
that you can grow on decks or patios.
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