Pizza kitchen – what toppings would you like today?!

What you need 

• An English muffin – cut in half (or if you have lots of time you could make dough for the pizza bases – kneading dough can be a great fine motor workout!) 
• Sauce for your pizza base – you can buy a sauce or, for a lower salt/sugar option, simply use a tin of tomatoes and mix them with a chopped clove of garlic  
• A choice of toppings – things like slices of mushroom, peppers, tomatoes, courgettes and olives 
• Grated cheese 

What to do 

• Slice the toppings; if you’re comfortable for your toddler to use a knife, show them how to slice too.  
• If you’re not ready for them to slice yet, chat with your toddler as you slice the veg about what they can choose.  
• Toast the muffin halves. 
• Place the muffins, pizza sauce and toppings where your toddler can reach them easily and show them how to put sauce on then choose their toppings and finish off with the grated cheese.  
• Show them what to do by making your own pizza alongside them, this will also help you resist the temptation to take over their cooking!  
• When the pizzas are ready, pop them under the grill until the cheese is melted and bubbling – if you make your own base you might need to cook the pizzas in the oven – you could find a recipe online to help with this or use our recipe for pitta bread pizza.

Good to know 

If you’re short on time, offering a selection of fillings for a sandwich and assembling these together is another way to get your toddler involved with making a meal.