Heart Pizza

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. And usually, when we talk about this special day, kids are the farthest thing that comes up to mind. But who says Valentine's day is only for adults? Children can definitely take part in the festivities for this day of love. 

It has been long said that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I believe this is also true for kids especially if they get to help in the preparation. And probably the easiest dish you can whip up with your kids this Valentine's Day is Heart Pizza. 

So what do you need? 

You can use whatever toppings you want for your heart pizza. Be creative. 

 Our ingredients and tools. Aren't those cookie cutters cute?

Directions

Step 1: Prepare your toppings by cutting them into a heart shape using the cookie cutters. 

Bell pepper hearts

Pepperoni Hearts

Older kids can already help with this step. In our case, I did it and just let the kids do the assembling later. 

Step 2: Make a heart-shaped pizza crust, again, using those cookie cutters. 

I used different sizes and even designs. 

Heart-shaped crusts ready for assembly. 

Step 3: Assembly time! But first, preheat the oven (which I actually forgot to do). Spread some tomato sauce on top of the crust. 

Who's excited to make pizzas? These kids sure are! For this activity, we invited my little Queen B's cousins Xander and Bella. It was an instant playdate. 

Waiting for their turns to be assisted.

Step 4: Place your toppings of choice. 

We gave them the freedom to put whatever they want in their pizza. My little Queen B only had pepperoni, pineapple, and cheese on hers. 

Step 5: Place your pizza in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your crust. 

Ready for the oven.

Step 6: It's eating time!

The kids' heart pizzas. (I know, I know, I overbaked them since I forgot to preheat the oven)

My brother brought spaghetti for the kids also so it was like a mini-party for them. Afterwards, they played for hours! 

Of course, I also made a bigger one for the adults to enjoy.

We had those heart pizzas for snacks, but since the kids also ate a considerable amount of pasta, they became their dinner too. For schooling kids, won't they be pleased to see those pizzas in their lunch boxes? Valentine's Day falls on a weekday this year so that's a good idea. 

Spending time in the kitchen and helping in the preparation of meals are beneficial to our kids. It helps them develop a positive connection to all types of food including the usually dreaded vegetables and fruits. They learn basic cooking skills which they can use for the rest of their lives. In the kitchen, they learn through all their senses when they touch, explore, smell, taste the food and listen to our instructions.  

Cooking is also a good avenue to teach science concepts like boiling points, solubility, chemical reactions, and many more. So with proper precautions in place, I believe, we, parents, do not have to fear to bring our kids into our kitchen. It's a wonderful place to learn, explore, and have fun. 

X-O-X-O, 

Lady