Our two year old has developed a keen interest in what I'm cooking and rushes over with a chair seeking to take part. I love his enthusiasm and, although I know it's really just gorgeous toddler curiosity, hope that I can get him involved in the kitchen; my parents got the five of us (two girls and three boys) involved in so much when we were growing up, from cooking to DIY, and I think it's made us more confident and independent.
I try to pick out the tasks that I know he can do like tearing off leaves off herbs, combining cake mixtures and the like but he is desperate to chop things so I have come to rely on our collection of wooden food.
We have fruit and veg crates which come complete with wooden chopping board and knife to 'cut' through the velcro. I really like how some pieces are quite easy to separate (our 1 year old loves pulling apart the watermelon and banana) while others present more of a challenge. I always turn the oven off at the wall which gives me the peace of mind that, even if he plays with the dials, he can't turn anything on. Just as well as we've been presented with a 'cooked' breakfast a few times recently!
Not only are these sets ideal for developing a positive attitude to healthy food, but they're great for tuning fine motor skills.
I've also noticed a keen interest in make pretend emerging so jumped at the chance to review ELC's wooden birthday cake and afternoon tea set (similar). We keep both (minus candles because of our 1 year old who still puts everything in her mouth) on a tray in the lounge and a regularly offered tea and cake. Even guests are offered something from the tea tray and it seems a great way to overcome any shyness and begin interacting with newcomers!
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