One way I maintain my sanity during dinner prep is to keep little hands busy right beside me in the kitchen. We always have some great conversations while we're working together making food or tidying up. Here's a few of our favorite simple tasks in the kitchen:
Washing, drying, and tearing lettuce (the salad spinner is so fun!)
Cutting soft foods with a small knife or a plastic knife - try bananas, bread, peeled apple slices, or sticks of cheese.
Scooping from a large bowl into small bowls - try applesauce, cooked rice, cereal. If scooping with a spoon is too difficult for your child, offer a measuring cup or scoop.
Gathering items for a centerpiece; setting the table; making place cards
Pouring water from a small pitcher
Stirring; using egg beaters
Assembling a fruit salad
Sorting clean silverware back into the drawer
Gathering ingredients from the refrigerator or cabinets/pantry
Rinsing dishes and/or putting items in the dishwasher
How do you involve your little helpers in the kitchen?
{Side Note: Thank you for sharing your favorite fall books -- I added a few to my library hold list! Also, for those of you who asked about the bookshelf -- I am lucky enough that my hubby made it for me. I saw a sling-style standing bookshelf in a school supply catalog and wanted something similar to hang on the wall. It is basically two side boards with three cross boards, each one attached a little more forward than the one above it. The fabric is just draped and stapled in place. :) }
