Family Dinner Party
Here's What To Do
1
With your child and family, decide on a meal you’d like to make for your fancy family dinner party.
2
Let your child help you to prepare the food by doing simple tasks with utensils, such as cutting soft food with a child-safe knife, mashing food, stirring etc.
3
Your child can also make decorations if they’d like.
4
After you’ve cooked, dress up and enjoy your meal together!
Put PEER Into Action
P
Pause:
- Close your eyes together and smell some of the ingredients you might use to prepare your meal. Encourage your child to describe their scent.
E
Engage:
- “Let’s have a fancy family dinner party. We can make the food together and dress up for dinner.”
- “What would you like to help make?”
E
Encourage:
- Show your child how to hold and use the utensils. Encourage them to keep practicing. “Sometimes using something new is a little tricky at first. But, when we keep practicing it will get easier.”
R
Reflect:
- “What did you like making the most?”
Not quite ready?
Use simpler tasks involving utensils that are easier to grip.
Ready for more?
Give your child more challenging roles as they help you to prepare the food. For example, they can use their fingers to roll dough, use a child-safe knife to cut ingredients into tiny pieces or help to set the table as they hold each utensil carefully.
As your child masters this skill...
They will demonstrate grip control and dexterity.