2 Great Kitchen Play Time Ideas For Toddlers

Toddlers love to help in the kitchen.

What could be more fun than making her own delicious masterpieces! Last week I shared Part One of “Mommy, Play With Me.”  This week I am going to share two fun and easy recipes your toddler can make, along with two great books to read while she enjoys her creations.. There are a lot of things to be learned in the kitchen for kids, safety is the first thing that comes to mind, and artistry is always a good addition to any learning for a small child! Here are a few ideas that are creative and easy for small children to accomplish without much help or dangers in the kitchen!

Bagel Faces
You will need the following:
1/2 Bagel (you can use mini bagels)
Cream cheese
Cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
Small black olives without pits
Cucumbers (cut into small rounds)
Red or green peppers (cut into thin strips)
Sprouts or shredded carrots
a paper or plastic plate
plastic knife

Give your toddler a paper plate with the following:
2 tsps. Cream cheese
1 cherry tomato (for the nose)
2 black olives (for the eyes)
2 cucumber rounds (for the ears)
2 pepper strips (for the mouth
Few sprouts or shredded carrots (for the hair)
Show your toddler how to spread a thin layer of cream cheese on the bagel. Then ask her to decorate it making a face using the vegetables. No helping please, unless she asks. It’s her creation and it doesn’t matter if the eyes are where the mouth is supposed to be. When her masterpiece is finished, read All About Faces by La Zoo. Easy and fun.

Lemon Lime Bubbles
You will need the following:
1/2. Lemon
1/2 lime
¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. apple juice concentrate (thawed)
1 cup unflavored club soda
A clear sippy cup or a plastic drinking cup to use with a straw
A straw
Give your toddler the clear, plastic cup, half a lemon and half a lime. Show her how to squeeze the juices into the cup. Put the apple juice concentrate in a small, plastic measuring cup and show her how to pour it into the cup with the other juices and stir with a spoon. Then pour the club soda into the measuring cup and ask your toddler to pour it into the clear cup and  gently stir while watching all the bubbles. Place a straw in the cup or put the cover on the sippy cup and drink those bubbles away while reading Clifford counts Bubbles by Norman Bridwell.
For more fun recipes and books, check out Cooks and Books in Help! My Baby Came Without Instructions by Blythe Lipman

*My use of gender is for ease of reading, but applies to both male and female.