How to Organize a Kids' Cooking Playdate

Cooking with kids is a fun activity to plan for your next playdate. Kids love cooking and it can be a very educational activity.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Determine how many kids will be invited to the cooking playdate. You should limit the number of kids involved so there is plenty of room. There is also less risk of injury when guests are limited.

2. Decide on a theme for the kids' cooking playdate. Consider a certain cuisine such as Chinese or Mexican food. You could also choose to cook appetizers, desserts, breakfast foods, or another theme.

3. Based on the theme you established, select two or three recipes for the cooking playdate. Consider the age of the children that will attend when selected the recipes.

4. Color code your measuring cups to make measuring easier for young kids. Place a different color dot on each measuring cup to distinguish. Rewrite the recipes with the corresponding colors next to each ingredient. You can also add a picture of the ingredient if children are too young to read.

5. Gather all ingredients for the recipes. Make sure you have plenty of supplies for the project. Also, make sure you will have plenty of parent volunteers to assist on the day of the cooking playdate.

6. On the day of the cooking playdate, set everything up before the guests arrive. This will allow the activities to get underway immediately.

7. Introduce the recipe to the kids and explain the safety rules, along with the process of the recipe. Have fun!

Tips & Warnings

• You can also have the kids make placemats or homemade napkin rings as a craft activity before cooking.
• Teach kids how to set a table the proper way as part of the cooking playdate.
• Make sure to provide a brief safety lesson for the kids before cooking begins.
• Get kids involved in the clean up process too. This will help teach them responsibility.

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on 2/12/2009 What a cute idea...I definitely want to try this! Thanks for sharing. 5*