Start the Year Off with Kids in the Kitchen

The kitchen is the perfect place to start healthy habits for the new school year. Planning meals as a family can be both rewarding and fun. Using Choose MyPlate as a guide, ask your children to choose a healthy item from each food group to help plan a meal.

There are many ways that kids can help in the kitchen; children as young as two years of age can begin to lend a hand.

With help, younger children can:

• wipe tables with warm, soapy water
• wash produce
• place food packing in the garbage
• tear lettuce greens for a salad

By the time they are three years old, children can help:

• add ingredients
• toss salads
• stir batter
• add toppings to salads and pizzas

As children age, add additional tasks such as:

• setting and clearing the table
• peeling fruit
• cutting fruits and veggies
• measuring ingredients.

Try some of these fun ideas to start the school year off on the right foot:

• Plan a back to school breakfast that kids can put together themselves or make with a little help from an adult or older sibling. Fruit Pizza to Go and Breakfast Roll Ups are great to make and take. If you have extra time in the morning, a Breakfast Banana Split is sure to start the day of with a smile.
• Develop the habit of packing lunches the night before. As you are putting away dinner, kids can help pick items to pack for the next day. Even water bottles can be filled the night before and placed in the fridge next to packed lunch boxes. Freeze the water bottle the night before and use as an ice pack. 
• If your children will be buying lunch in school, review the school lunch menu together and ask your kids which healthy options they plan to choose during lunch. Did you know that students receiving free and reduced meals are allowed to choose both a fruit and a vegetable during lunch?  Encourage them to try one of each!
• Consider a family taste test night.  Allow children to pick a new fruit and/or vegetable for the family to try during dinner or a weekend breakfast or lunch. Use these tips for trying new foods as a family.

The kitchen is a place where families come together and memories are made. Children love helping in the kitchen and are much more willing to try new foods when they have had a hand in preparing the meal. Help your youngsters create a healthy lifestyle by getting them into the kitchen as the school year is getting started!