Little Miss Know-It-All

A Cup of Flour, a Pinch of Salt, and Handfuls of Family Fun

Danielle Padilla

I remember standing in the kitchen as a kid with my grandmother. Both hands clapping down a ball of dough, right hand over left, then left hand over right. The dough would get in between my fingers and I would bring my clasped hands near my nose to smell the authentic flavors of the Mexican tortilla dough. For me, making homemade tortillas was simply playing with edible play dough; for my grandmother, it was passing down a tradition.

Somewhere in the world, a myth began, that children don't belong in the kitchen. Sure, it's much easier to send them off to their familiar video games or dolls than to have them tug on your apron, tip over the salt on the table or touch every ingredient on the counter. But why not replace their isolating playing toys with your cooking ingredients? Wait a minute, before you bring out the yarn and empty all the noodles and Cheerios from your food storage, don't limit your child's culinary creativity to a Cheerio and noodle necklace. Just like my grandmother was able to teach a very active and energetic child how to “tortiar”, your child may be just as eager to get their curious hands involved in creating the family meal.

My adorable niece Lauren (3) and my handsome nephew, Nathan (5) creating their own pizzas. 

Chef Nathan.

My very creative sister in law found a way to spend quality time with her 3 year old daughter, Lauren, her 5 year old son, Nathan and get dinner ready all at once. Together, mom, Nathan, and Lauren mixed, stirred and kneaded their own pizza dough. Lauren's precious, little hands gripped both sides of the roller as she shaped her pizza, and Nathan enthusiastically layered his pizza with his favorite toppings - olives and pepperoni. With a little flour on their noses and hungry bellies, they watched from a distance as the cheese melted to a golden brown and the dough rose to perfection in the oven.

Of coarse, a family who cooks together, eats together, and we all know what happens when a family eats together. According to Harvard Research, “Family dinners are more important than play, story time and other family events in the development of vocabulary of younger children.” Children also develop fundamental science knowledge every time they measure when you prepare meals together. It is not a shock to learn that, “Frequent family meals are associated with a lower risk of smoking, drinking and using drugs; with a lower incidence of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts; and with better grades in 11 to 18 year olds.” (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2004)

Lauren about to take a bite of her creation.

There are lots of books and internet sites you can visit to get ideas on meals you can prepare with your children. One of my favorite sites is http://www.myrecipes.com/kids/cooking-with-kids-recipes-and-ideas-10000001814441/ This website includes how-to videos, easy recipes and of coarse, recipes for kids. It even has ideas on how your children can help according to their age capacities from 3-16. There are more helpful sites like this one. Take some time to find your favorite and share it with your friends. It may be wishful thinking to imagine waking up one morning to a breakfast feast of pancakes, smoothies and sizzling bacon prepared by your toddlers. However, including them in the smallest of details like sprinkling the walnuts over a fruit salad, will make your child feel involved and lighten your load as well. Every good cook knows that one must set up all ingredients before even turning on the stove. Make your children part of the list of must-haves when preparing your next family meal. BON APPETIT!