Hi Mamas,
So I have this wonderful assistant in the kitchen these days. My 3 year old loves nothing more than to help me prepare dinner. So I would love to get her some things for the kitchen for Christmas. I was thinking of an apron for her and a mini "bar board" for her to have her own cutting board. Any other ideas? She has tons of stuff for "her kitchen" with play food, pots and pans, etc. - I am looking for more things to use in my kitchen.
Thanks!
K.
How about her own rolling pin for cookies, maybe some cookie cutters.... measuring cups/spoons and a few spatulas. You could also get a kids cookbook, their are lots of fun ones available. Get the colorful silicone kitchen tools to make it even more fun!
E.
http://www.babysignswithelizabeth.blogspot.com
I also think cookie cutters would be fun. A memory I will never forget is my M. letting me sit on top of the counter and use the electric hand mixer. You just have to make sure she doesn't lift it out of the batter while it's still on! >: ) But I loved that. I let my toddler put the Tollhouse preformed cookies on the sheet and I put them in the oven. He's convinced HE cooked them, lol. We like to watch the minutes count down, so you can turn that into a fun game too.
Another thing, Crate and Barrel and I think now Target has this set of beautiful multi-colored bowels. It's a set of maybe 10 or 12 of them that nest inside one another. Maybe have her help you measure everything out into each bowl, read through the directions aloud and have her pour each thing in as directed. Tell her "pour in the sugar from the green bowel and then next pour in the brown sugar from the red bowl." That would be a little twist on it. And then that can be "her" set of bowels to use.
For my daughters 2nd birthday my very creative and smart sister-in-law gave my daughter her own cooking/baking tools, in her very own bin. It had a rolling pin (kid sized), cookie cutters, apron, whisk, wooden spoons, mixing bowls, measuring cups and her first cookbook. The cookbook is called Pretend Soup by Mollie Katzen and Ann Henderson, It is a real cookbook for preschool aged children with pictures and has grown up and children instructions. Her first recipe was popovers, which she made all by herself and turned out perfect. It really is a great starter cookbook. My daughter is now 6 and helps her little brother and sister cook from the book.
A friend of mine got her daughter her own wooden spoons and used a thin permanent marker pen to write her name on the handles, above where she would hold them. I think she also used other colors to put tiny pictures of foods as well. She bought 3 mixing bowls and wrote her name on the outside, along with pictures of foods. The daughter always used those items whenever helping prepare dinner or when baking something.
K.
As a child, it was always my job to chop nuts for cookies and cakes my mother would make. After my mom died my 2 sisters and I fought over who would get the infamous hand crank nut chopper (I lost). A few years ago I bought a really nice nut chopper from Williams-Sonoma. Now my daughters fight over who gets to use it. You would certainly need to assist her with its operation but I bet she will build memories around it like I did and like my daughters are doing.
Good luck!
