Munchkin In The Kitchen

Like most toddlers in the kitchen, my daughter Naanie (also Hayat, my munchkin) is very tactile and loves the concept of eating her art project. Still, she has my very close supervision since her dexterity and motor skills are still developing. She does the following tasks with minimal assistance: picking fresh herb leaves off stems and ripping them into small pieces, tearing up lettuce, brushing (or “painting”) oil with a pastry brush, using the rolling pin for dough or puff pastry, squeezing water out of thawed spinach, stirring, and mashing.

I give her close supervision when it comes to grating and peeling, but no chopping vegetables and herbs with a knife. 

When she was 3

She broke plenty of eggs one time. “Naanie, what are you going to do with these eggs?“ —  “I want to bake cakes.” So, telling my mom the story of what happened in the kitchen, she brought her grandchild a 64-piece toy kitchen set … from Egypt. 

When she was 4

 “Ammie,” the name she addresses me with, “can I cook with you?” 

When she was 6

My now 6-year-old had expressed a few times that she wanted to learn to cook. Over the years, I’ve had her help here and there, but one day last Ramadan she asked if she could help me cook “everything“ for the  iftar, our evening meal breaking fast. 

“Sure Hayat.” 

My daughter thought it was such fun that she ran and grabbed art supplies and made menus. Her dad came home to a set table with all this and more: 

From that day on, every evening we do have a blast! We begin to cook and do the kitchen chores together more regularly. 

Naanie and I plan meals together. She’s included in the whole process from finding the recipes to purchasing and gathering the ingredients, plus researching for various cuisines on the internet. Followed by actually making the meal and creating the ambience. It must be the world chef in us, as I love the energy in the warm atmosphere. 

We learn a few words for our meals, to try and incorporate them into our dinner conversation. Learning and living, plus cooking and eating. Munchkin makes menus and creates a restaurant name: Purple Hearts 💜. 

We’ve found that this time together is truly fun, and we laugh throughout the work. Cooking can be an escape, and my daughter often comments on how relaxing it is. I would have never known that about her had I not allowed her to help. That said, it does take more of my time and patience to oversee her doing the tasks, and not twitching every time there’s a spill.

If she can cook, so can he

Her dad simply adores these evenings. He has commented multiple times on how special he feels coming home to a surprise feast from his girls. Now he also includes her when he cooks. Cooking has become a family activity, and we all get involved. 

Our meals are made with love, as my daughter often says. 

For me, I really do like to keep a clean kitchen, so I clean as I go. Therefore, before allowing my daughter to join in, I shared with her how cooking looks in our house, so that I wouldn’t react negatively. If she spills some sauce, or dribbles some mix, she now wipes it up immediately saying to herself, “we clean as we go,” and then there’s no frustration. Spills and accidents happen, but she’s proactive about cleaning it up and I like that. It makes me more likely to want to include her again. We make a good team, and I can honestly say it’s one of our favorite activities to do together now. We even have matching aprons! Who would have thought!? It all started on a whim, but it’s become a fun tradition in our home.

Sounds fun 🤗? Thank you 🌹!  Try it out 💜.