Kids love to help with Thanksgiving dinner preparation, but on the big day, they are sometimes underfoot, and it's not as easy to take time to include children in all of your Thanksgiving activities. However, it's still important that the interested child have the chance to help...after all, that youngster will be your greatest ally someday, as a key helper, or main chef!
There are many side dishes and desserts that can be prepared ahead of the big Thanksgiving feast. Cool Whip Fruit Salads are easy, and only require opening of cans, defrosting of Cool Whip. A child of age 4, and up, can dump ingredients into a bowl, and may be able to stir some. A 6-7 year old will be able to stir appropriately, and by age 8, your child can probably operate an electric can opener. By age 10, your youngster will be able to completely assemble that Cool Whip fruit salad, and at age 12, should be able to tell you the ingredients needed at the store. If you begin from early years with that youngster in the kitchen, on this one simple dish, you will find that by the teen years, he or she can even improvise a little bit.
Pie preparation is a bit challenging for children, but from age 4, and up, most children can easily pour a given pre-measured ingredient into a bowl. Ages 8 and up should be able to measure most ingredients. Ages 12 and up should be able to prepare the filling for pies, with some supervision, and by age 14, a child is usually capable of preparing fillings without supervision. If the child has helped with pie crusts, it's possible that the 14 year old may also be able to make a crust, but I know many adults who have trouble making crusts from scratch, so a pre-made crust is a great way to enable the teen to make the full pie!
Hot foods can be dangerous for younger children to help with, and I reserve the helping with these items for teenagers only. Cutting depends on the child, but again, this is generally reserved for my teens to help with. Thanksgiving Day food preparation for younger children can include arrangement of a relish tray, placing crackers and cheeses, and other appetizers on plates, and setting of the table.
Including your younger children in the days preceding Thanksgiving Dinner will allow them to learn about working in the kitchen, and providing helpful things that they can do on the actual day of the celebration keeps them busy, and helps them to participate in the excitement of the activity.
