Outdoor grilling is Dad’s time to shine, but he doesn’t have to do it all by himself. In fact, it’s a great chance for kids to get involved in the process. Obviously they won’t be tending to the grill since there are safety issues to think about. But that doesn’t mean kids have to stand on the sideline while waiting for the food to be ready. They can play an active role while learning about the process, and it can be a fun thing for the entire family. You’ll find that when everyone contributes in their own way, your barbecue feast will taste a lot better. Here are some fun and easy ways you can get the kids in on the grilling action.
Choosing the Menu – all you have to do is look on the internet for a wide variety of BBQ recipes you’ve never tried before. There will be popular favorites like steak and chicken wings, but how about trying a new twist? You can browse various recipe sites with your kids to pick dishes that look the most delicious. It’s a fun thing for kids to be able to choose different foods and then seeing them come to life later on.
Grocery Shopping –you’ve set your barbecue menu, now it’s time to buy all the ingredients you need. This is the perfect chance to load up the family and go to the grocery store. It’s not just about pushing your kids while they ride in the shopping cart. This is a great opportunity to teach your kids about healthy ingredients and why certain foods are preferable to others. You can also teach them about economical spending and the value of spending on groceries wisely.
Prep Work – barbecue food doesn’t just come together magically, there’s a lot of prep work involved. This is where kids can come in very handy with chopping, mixing, stirring, shaking, and pouring. There is a wide variety of smaller tasks that children should be able to handle. You’ll find that your routine becomes a lot more efficient with kids forming an assembly line to help out with smaller chores.
Side Dishes – if you have older kids who can handle more complicated tasks, there are plenty of great barbecue side dishes they can prepare. Traditional classics like potato salad and coleslaw can be handled by an older child or teenager. They should also be able to handle simple marinades, sauces, and salad dressing. When your kids are on top of the side dishes, it allows you to focus on the main dishes cooking on the grill.
Setting the Table – while dad is tending to the grill and making sure all the food comes out nice and juicy, the kids can set the table. This is a great chance to express creativity because it’s not like a normal setting. Your kids can even come up with a theme for your barbecue. Special touches like music, a centerpiece, decorations, and name cards can add a nice touch that elevates your dining experience to something special. It’s not every day that you get to eat outdoors, so let your kids explore how to get the most out of it.
Making Dessert – another way that kids can help in the kitchen while you’re grilling outside is with dessert. There are plenty of desserts that are easily made with everything you need in a box. With a bit of supervision from mom, your kids should be able to handle them easily. You could also get creative with something like the “Play and Freeze” ice cream maker which is a rather ingenious invention. After placing all the ingredients inside, your kids kick the ball around for 20 minutes, and the reaction creates ice cream inside! Granted, this is more of a novelty item and you’ll probably want a standard machine like the ones found at http://icecreamakers.com/ for something that you can use more regularly. But you get the idea – creating desserts is fun and easy, and the perfect way to end off an evening of great family barbecue fun.
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