Fun Ideas for Toddlers to Help Make

Tortilla roll ups are fun. They could spread it with peanutbutter and then they could put on mini marshmallows, or chocolate chips, or honey. It seems like a treat but its still good for you. It's always fun to make homemade chocolate chip cookies. I had 3 toddlers over and they had a blast putting sprinkles or M&M's in the batter instead of chips. Just have a variety of stuff and they can mix as they want. I then gave them some to take home. Kids also love to help make smoothies. They can add whatever fruit they want and they always love them. You can put peanutbutter or creamcheese inside a celery section and put raisins on top and its ants on a log. Just use plastic knives. You could make dirt with pudding and crushed oreos with gummy worms. Kids love to make and eat that. If they help you make a sandwich you can cut it in two triangles and put them back to back and with a carrot stick in the middle it is a butterfly. Have fun!

One of our favorite treats and we make a lot in the summer - frozen s'mores! 1 jar of fluff, almost 1-8oz cool-whipped topping (cold, not frozen), 1/2 c. (more or less) mini choco chips, graham crackers squares (not sure how many because we always make double batches. Mix all ingredients together, in mixer or by hand, except graham crackers. Line a cookie sheet w/ aluminum foil or wax paper. Put filling in center of two graham squares and place on cookie sheet. Freeze for about an hour. Individually wrap and keep in freezer. You'll vary your ingredients to your taste. Sometimes I don't get the opportunity to individually wrap because they fly out of the freezer. Enjoy.

Check out momchef.com. You can find lots of kid-friendly recipes that they can help with. My grandsons, 3 and 5 years old, like to make hot dog faces with cheese hair. I cut the hot dogs in circles and we make a face with them. We add ketchup cheeks and shredded cheddar hair. It started as a silly lunchtime thing and they love it. Good luck and have fun.

Here's one of our favorites:
Slice a couple bananas into bite sized pieces.
Melt about 1/4 cup of peanut butter in a small bowl in the microwave.
Have the kids dip the bananas into the peanut butter, roll around to coat, and then dip that into a topping of their choice. My kids enjoy coconut, graham cracker crumbs, or the leftover crumbs from a box of cereal (mini-wheat crumbs) etc. Whatever! Always a winner.

Hi A.,
My kids love to make the hot dogs rolled up on crescent rolls. They can do the rolling themselves and love to dip the hot dogs in ketchup.
I would also check out this site hosted by Family Fun magazine. They always have really great ideas for all ages. Food, crafts, games, etc.
Have fun Wed!

http://familyfun.go.com

Two of our favorites are soft tacos and calzones (can use pillsbury french loaf, then stuff and bake)

Hi A.!

Go to kraftfoods.com, you can sign up to receive free magazines 4 times a year (each season) and they always have great kids ideas!

;-)

Ann,
Here's a great idea from the 'Let's Eat!' kids cookbook from Pampered Chef. It's Called Kid's Club Stacker.

With adult help:
1. Microwave bacon for 45-60 seconds on a microwave safe dish and let cool (Small Stoneware Bar Pan works great! I usually nuke the bacon about 1 min. for each strip of bacon).
2. Place bread slices in toaster and toast them until they are light golden brown. Remove and place on cutting board. Use a large cookie cutter to cut a shape out of each bread slice.

On their own:
Spread 1 side of each pc. of bread with mayo or mustard. Place a lettuce leave on top and stack with ham, cheese and turkey slices on top of each other on the cutting board. Cut through entire sandwich with same cookie cutter you used on bread. Add bacon and tomato and you're done!

TIPS FROM L.
You can also use small cookie cutters for each of the toppings (cheese, ham, lettuce, pickles, etc.) Pampered Chef has a great set of mini cookie cutters called the Creative Cutters set that works great!

You could also do fruit kabobs and use the Creative cutters set on watermelon, cantaloupe, apples and honeydew and skewer them with strawberries, grapes, etc. You can get bamboo skewers at Walmart.

Here's a great fruit dip if you want to do that!
FLUFFY PEANUT BUTTER DIP
Combine 1/3 c. creamy peanut butter and 6-8 oz. container vanilla yogurt. Mix well and fold in a 1/2 c. cool whip. Simple, yummy and nutricious!

Live your dreams!
L. K.
Adv. Director with PC

How about letting them spread soft butter on 2 pieces of bread and then turn it over and put cheesewhiz on the other. They can set it on a baking sheet, put together as a sandwich of course, and you can pop it in the oven and turn them when it's time. Sounds like you're a great mommy. Good job!

Hi,

How about Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches? THEN, use cookie cutters to cut them into different shapes. Kids love them. (of course, if no one is allergic to peanuts)

S

Hi A.,
Why not finger foods? Make tuna on bread and cut into 4 sections. Carrot sticks, apple slices and maybe grapes. You could dress it up like hi tea, or even pack it like a picnic. What ever you make, make it healthy. Let's stop feeding our kids junk. No chips, no sodas or hi-cornsyrup juices. Have fun. P. RN ;-)

Ants on a log... celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins.

soft tacos with lots of toppings. Only if you don't have picky eaters.

Dear A.,

My daycare kids love to make muffins and tortia pizza's. All I do is get the ingredients ready and measured for the muffins and then they add them and mix them. I then put them in the muffin cups to bake. When I make jello they love to add in the fruit. For the tortia pizza's they love to build their own. Once we even had the kids make their own peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches and then they got to finger paint with the jelly for a couple of minutes afterward. Just make sure you have paper and a wash cloth already. They had a blast. The four year olds weren't that messy. Good luck and have a blast.
B.

Hi A., How about cut out sandwhiches, get lunch meats and cheeses or peanutbutter and jelly use cookie cutter cut outs to make their own shapes. You could also get sugar cookie dough already made and the kids can decorate and also make their own shapes. Have Fun A. L

Any kind of rollup sandwich is fun for kids, cut up veggies that they like, different colors to keep it fun, and maybe some turkey or chicken and cheese. You can use tortillas as wraps or there is a flat bread called FlatOut, near the deli section of the grocery store, and they have kid sized ones, in whole wheat so it's healthy for them if they don't have food allergies.

EDIBLE PLAY-DOUGH IS A REAL CROWD PLEASER.
http://www.thefamilycorner.com/family/kids/crafts/edible_...

Also, I really love the Family Fun magazine. Not only do they have little food snack ideas that kids love, but also really cute craft ideas in every issue. Also good articles that are different from the other parent mags.

What about tacos or some kind of sandwich wraps, where they get to pick the toppings?

Hi ~

Check out the Brownie Scouts for some great, easy recipies. Also, I'm sure the public library will have some kind of cookbook for children. And of course, there's always online for ideas!

Hope the playdate is a wonderful success!

In Friendship,

S.

You could try making parfaits with yogurt and different fruits and cereals.

I think make your own tacos or burritos would be a favorite. One that my 3 year old loves to do -- get some biscuit dough, flatten each biscuit and press it into the bottom and up sides of muffin pan, cook according to package directions, when still warm out of the oven press a hole in the center with a spoon and fill with either PB&J or cream cheese & jelly or anything else that's good warm. Check out kids' recipes on familyfun.com -- they have a ton for exactly your situation.

A.-
Why not try hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls. Sometimes I put half a slice of American cheese in with it too. I cook them according to the directions on the crescent roll tube. We also make mini pizzas using English Muffins, I always toast in toaster first before putting ingredients on so they don't get to soggy.
Also what about soft tacos.
H. P.

We did hot dogs rolled up in flattened out corn biscuits one time at a play date...homemade corn dogs. Check out pampered chef they have ideas for kids cooking as well.

How about introducing them to a old fashioned tea party, keep the food or snacks simple, and just enjoy each others company

Hi A. B.

Since this is springtime purchase some flower shaped cookie cutters and have the toddlers to make some sandwiches and cut them into different shaped flowers and make a flower arrangement on the plate. If you would like sprinkle some colored sugar on top.