Kids Occupational Therapists at Fired Up People say “When you think about promoting your child’s motor skills, cooking might not be the first thing that comes to your mind.
But if you’re looking for a different, fun way to help your little one’s physical development, then getting them involved in the kitchen can be a great idea.”
If you’re on the hunt for some inspiration, then look no further: we’re about to show you four cooking games for kids that are sure to be a hit with your child.
1. Let Them Be Chef for a Day
Start simple: inform them that they’re today’s chefs and that you would like them to come up with their own recipe. Make sure they have all the bits that they need: a mixing bowl, a few spoons or spatulas (silicone and bamboo ones work a treat), some dried pasta or cereals, and flour.
Be prepared for a bit of a mess (or a lot of it!), but it’s all for a good reason. Watch as your little one practices skills like pouring, mixing, and shaking using their little hands.
2. Who Loves Pizza?
Of course, the answer is – everyone! Put together a super quick and easy pizza by mixing equal amounts of full-fat yogurt and self-raising flour. Once the dough is coming together, ask your little one to help you with flattening it and making it nice and round.
Finally, have them spread some tomato sauce on top of it and invite them to choose their favourite toppings. You can prepare a tray or a plate with chopped veg, hams, cheese, and more. Picking small bits of foods and placing them on the pizza will strengthen their pincer grip.
Older kids can help prep and top more traditional types of pizzas: they’ll love it!
3. Slice It Up
This is a great one to try with older kids. Get yourself a child-friendly, blunt kitchen knife and ask them to help you with putting dinner together.
They could chop up soft foods like tomatoes, avocados, and bananas. This activity helps to reinforce skills like precision and self-confidence, as well as focuses them on a very specific task.
4. Create Your Own (Edible) Sandpit
Bring messy play to the next level with one of the simplest yet most entertaining cooking games for kids: the edible sandpit.
Grab a packet of cereals, like Cheerios. Pop them in a food blender and, with help from your little assistant, whizz them to a fine powder. Doesn’t it look like sand, now?
Ask your child to pour the “sand” into a tray or small box, and let them play, get messy, and explore the texture. The best bit? It will be absolutely fine if they end up putting the “sand” into their mouths since it’s just pulverised cereals!
Ready to Try One (or All!) of These Cooking Games for Kids?
Now that you know how to get your children involved in the kitchen, and how this can aid their development, you can get started with any of these cooking games for kids!
