Making a Menu with the Kids
March 1, 2007 by Kerri Aldrich
Filed under General Play Library Goodies
So, I was really getting tired of the, “What’s for dinner tonight?” question. Really. Worse than the question itself, though, was the whining and complaining and, “But I don’t like that.” or “But we just had chicken yesterday.” or “Nobody else I know has to eat liver and pig’s feet on the same night!” Okay, so that last one was a lie. But honestly, the whining was really getting to me.
My solution? Sit down with my kids and make a menu for the month of March. Solves two issues in one: 1)No more complaining about dinner because they helped pick it out and 2) No scrambling at the last minute to figure out what to make or answering the “What’s for dinner?” question. The calendar is hanging on the fridge, they can find out for themselves what we’re going to eat.
Of course, the meal planning required a bit of guidance on my part. If it were up to the kids, we’d be eating chicken nuggets, hot dogs, mac ‘n’ cheese, pizza, or fruit salad for every meal. It was fun to be able to encourage them to think of their favorite veggies and fruits, and to have them feel like they had a part in this area of planning for the family. The planning also helps us to be more frugal at the grocery store, since we know exactly the dishes for which we are buying ingredients.
Next time, I’ll go through the extra effort of grabbing one of the kids’ cookbooks and making sure that there are plenty of meals coming up that the kids can help make. They love helping out with meals, and then I’m not trying to cook while also running interference on playtime from the next room. 
Great idea! My son is too young to do this with me yet, but I’m sure we’ll be using this tactic when he’s old enough. It’s funny, he’s only 11 months old and he already prefers french fries.
lol @ french fries. Soooo true.
I had a friend whose husband was an expat chef in a hotel and they also lived in the hotel. They didn’t have a kitchen in their suite so most meals were room service. EVERY dish came with french fries (it was a French hotel). Her kids were probably the only ones I know who don’t eat french fries.
That’s funny! I use a strategy like that for things our son always wants of ours, like our steaming hot cups of coffee. I’ve pretended to offer the coffee to him on several occasions and he found out it smells strange. Now he backs his head away whenever I bring the cup closer to him. And we can enjoy our coffee in (about ten seconds of) peace.
Kristy: Thanks for commenting.
They do learn early, don’t they? We can’t pass a McDonald’s w/o my 1 year old (soon to be 2) saying, “frun fry” and “keshpup”. 
Hsien: Living in a hotel and having all the meals cooked NOT by me? Sounds fantastic!!! Though I’m sure it had it’s drawbacks, too.
Getting your children to help develop a menu is a great idea. I plan 2 weeks’ worth of menus at one time, but my oldest child is 4 so my girls are not quite able to help create the menu. They love to help me cook already, and I’m sure they will help with menu planning when they are older.
Revka: Yeah, it was mostly me and the 6 year old, but she made sure that there were items that her brothers liked, too! I think a menu in general is a great idea, I hope I stick with it!
I hope we stick with it, too!
And thanks for leaving me a space or two to write “pancakes” in.
Bald Man: Thanks for making pancakes.
Thanks for the link, Kerri. The trackback didn’t show up. I guess the spam filters ate it.
That’s a great idea to let the kids get involved in menu planning and let them know their input is important. When you’re ready to take it to the next level, you might allow them to help you select the groceries. “Hm! Carrots are on the menu for Thursday. What do you think – fresh, canned or frozen? Fresh – okay, we can buy these big ones that we have to scrape and chop up or these little ones that are ready to cook. Which do you think is better?”
Visiting from the Carnival of Family Life. Great post to include!
skeet: Thanks for commenting! I usually do have one kid with me at the grocery. It’s fun to see them get excited over choosing their fruit. Just gotta avoid too much in the cookie aisle.