MANHATTAN, Kan. -- In the holiday rush, parents can miss opportunities to build memories with their children and family.

Adults know that it can be easier to say ‘I'll do that,’ rather than encourage children to get involved in preparing foods and planning gatherings during the holidays, said Sandy Procter, Kansas State University Research and Extension nutrition specialist.

"Still, working together in the kitchen can serve as the foundation for new traditions," Procter said.

Inviting children to be involved can help them learn more about food, nutrition, and health, she said. Doing so also can help a child build basic cooking skills and a better understanding of what it takes to get a meal on the table.

“Being able to say ‘I made the gingerbread’ or ‘I set the table, folded the napkins or made the place cards’ allows a child to share ownership in a holiday gathering and helps to build his or her self esteem,” Procter said.

And, while assigning tasks helps to share the responsibility in preparing the meal and readying the table, holiday teamwork can extend beyond the holiday, said the nutrition specialist, who encouraged parents to choose age-appropriate tasks

A three-year-old may, for example, be able to fold napkins. A five-year-old may be able to set the table, and a six- or seven-year-old may be able to decorate and print names on place cards or arrange relishes on a tray.     

Older children will be more able to help with food preparation, and, in the process, can learn cooking skills, and about kitchen tools and appliances.

           

Mixing quick breads such as muffins or gingerbread, or kneading and shaping dinner rolls are other child-friendly tasks, Procter said.

Parents who work side-by-side with their children in planning and preparing holiday foods may be surprised by their child's candor, as he or she helps to mix the bread or cookie dough, she said.

           

“Focusing on a task can take the pressure off, and make it easy for a child to tell a parent what's really on their mind,” Procter said.

Encouraging a child to be creative also may yield some new taste treats, said Procter, who encouraged parents to allow children to choose how to use holiday leftovers.

A child might, for example, combine leftover mashed potatoes, turkey and cranberry sauce as a sandwich filling, prefer to stuff a pita pocket with chopped turkey and a spoonful of one or more salads, or prefer to re-heat turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce in a spinach wrap, Procter said.

“Teaching a child that he or she needs to do his or her share in the clean-up can help to lighten the load now and in the future,” she added.

Procter is a registered dietitian and state coordinator for the United States Department of Agriculture's Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program.

More information about food, nutrition and health and family activities in the kitchen is available at county and district K-State Research and Extension offices and on Extension Web sites, including: www.ksre.ksu.edu, www.ksre.ksu.edu/humannutrition, www.kidsacookin.org, and www.ksre.ksu.edu/foodsafety.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by: Nancy Peterson
nancyp@ksu.edu
K-State Research & Extension News

Sandy Procter is at 785-532-1675 or, by e-mail at procter@ksu.edu.