Kids in the Kitchen! Playing With Food: By Joyce Hemphill

Home cooking can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Intimidating. Relaxing. Exhausting. Comforting. A chance to break from comfort zones. It’s a lot. It’s also the only option for many of us right now.

Cooking doesn’t have to be a chore, because it’s so much more than that. It’s an opportunity for families to learn and grow together while fostering an appreciation for cooking and community that reaches beyond the kitchen. Don’t let thoughts of dirty dishes and messy eating spaces scare you.

Food is a reflection of who we are. Our family history. Our culture. Cherished memories. Likes and dislikes. And our relationship with food is ever-changing. It offers a chance to better understand ourselves and others. Involving your children in meal preparation is a great way to share your family story while also adding to it. And creating a family cookbook is a great way to hold their interest and keep them engaged while in the kitchen.

Now, getting started on a family cookbook doesn’t just mean logging every recipe you and your children enjoy. Keep your kids’ invested with activities that are accessible and get them thinking about food in new and exciting ways.

Make a tasting chart:
• Tasting is more than flavor. Have you ever said, “Mmmmmm that SMELLS good!”? How about “We eat with our eyes”? Eating is a sensory experience. Thus, a tasting chart should include not only taste, but also…
• Appearance. Does it look tasty?
• Touch and Texture. How does it feel when you hold it?
• Aroma. Does it smell yummy?
• Flavor. Does it taste good?
• And lastly, how does it make you feel? Emotional connection with food is deeply important, but also nuanced and sometimes difficult to explain. Start with something simple like a scoring chart.

Rate your food!

Tasting Exercise:
Taste and compare different variations of the same vegetable or fruit. For example, prepare and taste a carrot:
• Raw (but clean! Wash your root vegetables, people!)
• Cooked from fresh/raw
• Cooked from a can/processed
• Cooked from a bag of frozen carrots
Use the above tasting chart (or a tasting chart of your own creation) and see which preparation you like the best. Again, this is just a starting point. From here you can vary your cooking method and begin mixing ingredients. The exercise is open-ended, so have fun and let your child’s creativity drive the activity.

Name That Smell
Can you identify a vegetable or fruit by only its smell? Put your nose skills to the test: 1) Choose someone who can keep a secret, preferably an adult able and willing to use some sharp kitchen utensils, as the designated food prepper. 2) Have that someone chop/smash their choice of vegetable or fruit to help get some aroma in the air before putting the mystery food in the bottom of a cup. Cover with foil. 3) Poke some holes in the foil to let some of that smell out. 4) Take a whiff, take some time to think, and name what is in the cup.

Quick Fire Alphabet Challenge
List a raw ingredient for each letter of the alphabet. AND/OR when grocery shopping find items that begin with each letter of the alphabet.

Quick Fire Color Challenge
List foods that match the color of the rainbow. AND/OR when grocery shopping find ROY G BIV foods. (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet)

Joyce Hemphill, Ph.D, is a nationally recognized author and expert on the importance of play in child development. Often called the “queen of play” Joyce has volunteered with Madison Children’s Museum in support of the American Girl Benefit Sale since 2001 and as a guest blogger since 2016. Joyce gives a special thanks to Garrett McCarty for invaluable editorial assistance and to Bailey Martin for original illustrations.