With
the state of the economy many families are looking for ways to cut expenses and
stretch the family dollar. One way is to eat out less and do more cooking at
home. You’ll not only be saving money but you will be able to ensure your
family is eating nutritionally healthy foods.
Using
the weekly grocery ads, have your child help you plan a weeks worth of menus
and put together the shopping list. Explain to your child the importance of
establishing a food budget and purchasing items on sale. Allow your child to
select one item from the ad, of their choosing, to put on the list. If your
child is not yet old enough to read, cut the food item pictures from the ad and
glue or tape them onto a legal pad or into a spiral notebook to make a visual
shopping list.
Your
child can sharpen his fine motor skills by cutting coupons from the Sunday
paper and magazines. Encourage your child to match the coupons to the items in
the weekly grocery ad. Put the coupons into an envelope that can be attached to
the legal pad or spiral notebook shopping list and you’re ready to go grocery
shopping.
Allow
your child to accompany you to the store and make a game out of finding all the
items on your shopping list. Use this shopping experience as an opportunity to
teach your child how to select fresh produce, how to comparison shop, and the
importance of sticking to the shopping list in order to save money. If you think your child can tolerate the
crowds, do your grocery shopping on a Friday or Saturday when the store is
handing out free samples or offering items to taste. Don’t forget to take along
your reusable shopping bags. Once the groceries are purchased and you’ve made
your way back home, enlist your child’s help in putting the groceries away.
Every
good cook needs cooking tools and children are no exception. Buy your child a
kid-sized apron or to save even more money, make one using an old bath towel.
Lay the towel vertically and cut a circular hole a third of the way down. The
towel will easily slide over your child’s head for wearing and it’s easy to
wash. Assemble some kitchen utensils that will be specifically for your child’s
use. Make sure the kit includes pot
holders, a wooden spoon, measuring cups and measuring spoons, a wire whisk and
any other utensils that would be age- appropriate. Utensils can be extra ones
you already have or they can be purchased inexpensively at a dollar store. Store
the utensils in a kitchen drawer or storage bin that can be easily accessed by
your child. Make sure teaching safety issues around kitchen equipment is a
priority.
Talk
to your child about his favorite foods and help him discover what foods he can
make himself. Those foods might include cereal, a peanut butter sandwich,
chocolate milk. Ask him what new foods
he would like to learn to make. Purchase a cook book for your child or better
yet save the money you would have spent on a cookbook by doing an online search
for kid friendly recipes. There are many web sites that offer simple and tasty
step-by-step recipes for a beginning cook.
Children
who help with meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking are more likely to be
interested in trying new foods. Meal planning, shopping for the ingredients and
cooking your own meals provides opportunities for you to spend valuable time
with your child. It also encourages healthy eating habits in your child that
will last a lifetime.
3 comments:
Oh, my gosh - I just scheduled a Kids in the Kitchen blog for May 8th on my PreK and K Sharing collaborative. What fun ideas you've suggested! I may have to link your post to mine if that's ok.
Thanks, Pam!
Barbara
Hi Barbara! I'd be honored to have you link to this blog entry.
Consider it done. Check for it on May 8th at www.prekandksharing.blogspot.com; the focus is a bit different than yours, so they'll go pErFeCtLy together!!!
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