16 Apr Toddler prepares-and eats-grilled asparagus

Rinsing beans. Peeling eggs. Snapping asparagus. Washing fruits and veggies.

2 1/2 year old Ben lines up his cleaned and prepped asparagus

When it comes to age appropriate tasks in the kitchen, the possibilities are endless. What gets in the way? Often times, its the parents.  People will ask me “How do you get your son to do so much in the kitchen?”.  It’s simple. I ask. He always says yes. In fact, it’s one of the few times I don’t hear a typical toddler “NO!”

Ben has been in the kitchen with me since birth, it seems. His duties have changed as he’s grown. As a 2 1/2 year old, his current  nightly responsibilities include assisting with some preparation of the meal itself (last night, he prepped the asparagus), putting placemats on the table for the family, helping clear the table and placing the dishes in or at least near the sink and performing other duties as they arise.

When parents tell me “My  kids would NEVER do that–they just expected us to do it for them!”, my question back to them is “who set up that expectation?” Then it clicks. This type of behavior is learned just like any other behavior.  When you do everything for your 2, 3, 4, etc. year old, why would they have the expectation that they need to do it themselves?

I’m no parenting expert by any means. But I have found that this particular method to be very successful. Check out this article for some age appropriate tasks in the kitchen.

Remember to always keep kids safe and supervised when in the kitchen.

How do you get your kids to help you in the kitchen?