Cooking Parties for Preschoolers
by: Mom Index
Are you planning
a birthday party for your preschool age child? Consider hosting a
cooking party. These parties are unique, interactive and entertaining
for young children.
Party stores and Internet based retailers offer wonderful invitations
for a cooking party. Invitations display pictures of baking tools,
recipe cards or aprons. Custom invitations however, can be expensive and
may require a significant amount of wait time for printing and shipping.
If you have time or budget constraints, visit your local arts and crafts
store for paper stock and then design and print your own party
invitations. Let your guests know that you are cooking up fun and that
you want them to join you for an exciting event. CONTINUED BELOW
Hosting a
cooking party for preschoolers should be easy and engaging. Setup
tables so guests have plenty of room to prepare food and to interact.
For this age group, it is better to engage guests in food preparation
and decorating rather than actual baking and cooking. However, take
time to walk guests through the kitchen to teach them about cooking
tools and cooking safety. Allow them to handle basic cooking tools
such as rolling pins, measuring cups, spatulas, spoons and whisks.
Then introduce equipment that requires adult supervision such as
blenders, electric mixers, waffle makers and sandwich machines. This
cooking introduction will empower them to interact with their parents
in their own kitchen.
Cooking can be overwhelming for young children. Select simple and
rewarding activities so guests leave with a sense of accomplishment
regarding their creations. For example, allow guests to decorate and
to assemble food items. Party ideas include cupcake or cookie
decorating, fruit kabob or yogurt and granola parfait assembly or
jewelry making with cereal.
Design your own chef hats or order paper chef hats on-line. Then
provide crayons and art supplies so guests can decorate their hats. If
your budget allows, order child size aprons and use them as a party
favor. Alternatively, you can attach a plastic cookie cutter to a mini
rolling pin with a note thanking the guest for celebrating with you.
On the back of the thank you tag, include a simple and age appropriate
cookie recipe so guests can create something special in their own
kitchen. An additional benefit of this party favor is that guests will
also be able to use the rolling pin at home for play dough and other
arts and crafts projects.
About The Author
Mom IndexTM (http://www.momindex.com) addresses the dynamics of motherhood by bringing relevant and practical information to your fingertips. We keep you informed of new and unique products and services and offer opportunities and ideas to simplify and enrich your life. Recognizing that motherhood entails constant management of priorities and desires, we will partner with you in the exciting journey of raising children as well as balancing your needs for a fulfilling life. Visit Mom Index at http://www.momindex.com.
Source:
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