Personalized Kid’s Kitchen is the ultimate gift for a child (or young person for that matter). It’s like a dream come true for any parent to see all of their favorite childhood foods presented in a fun and creative way on a dinner plate. The great thing about this gift is that it allows the parent to indulge their child (or young person) while still keeping a close eye on what they’re eating. (Or should I say what they’re cooking!)
It’s no secret that kids can be picky eaters. They may not like the food that you serve them, or perhaps it makes them feel sick (think raw fish). So by customizing their dinner plate, you’re guaranteed to please them with the personalized plate’s uniqueness and charm. (And you’ll be pleased too!)
However, there is more than one way to create a unique and charming plate for your little one. So to help you out, I’ve put together a guide on what is PK, and how to properly use it so you can impress your child (or young person) with a beautifully gift-wrapped plate filled with their favorite foods.
The Basics Of Personalized Plate
Personalized plate simply refers to a plate customized with a child’s or young person’s name, initials, or other words or phrases. These are often used to describe the gift itself or the plate’s purpose (e.g., “this is a personalized plate for my daughter. She loves to cook and be creative, and this will help her express her thoughts and feelings through her food”).
The reason why I wanted to write this article is that, as great as personalized plates are, I feel like there is still something missing from the experience. I believe that there should be a step-by-step guide on how to properly execute the perfect personalized plate for your child (or young person), because although the results may be beautiful and unique, putting together a personalized plate can still be a bit daunting. (And I’m sure many of you out there would agree!)
Thankfully, we have YouTube! If you’re looking for a visual guide to putting together your perfect plate, then you’ve come to the right place. Below, you’ll find a 30-minute tutorial on how to create a completely custom plate for your tiny chef (or baker!).
Step 1: Decide On The Theme And Style
The first step is to decide on the theme and style of your plate. You can choose from a variety of themes and styles, so long as you keep the essentials. (More on this later.)
For example, if you’re going for a modern look, you might want to go for sleek and simple lines. Or if you’re trying to emulate the retro look of the 1960’s, you might want to go for rounded corners and lots of pastel colors. (You know your kids better than anyone else, so you can choose a theme that they’ll connect with!)
Step 2: Select A Plate
The next step is to choose a plate. You have several options here depending on the type of plate you want to create. (More on this below.)
You can pick from either glass or ceramic, and although ceramic is more popular today, glass is still a fantastic option. (You’ll want something that is easy to clean and maintain for the long-term.)
If you’ve decided on a theme and you’re stuck between the two, go for the ceramic plate. Not only will it be lighter than a glass one but it’ll also blend in with any décor your little chef (or baker!) may have.
Step 3: Decide On The Food
The next step is to decide on the food for your plate. You have several options here depending on the type of chef you are emulating. (More on this below.)
You can either go for simple foods or you can go for complex foods. (This is really up to you.) Some great ideas for simple foods are chicken tenders, fries, or pasta. You can also choose something like chocolate cake, or brownies if you want something a little more complex. (Again, you know your kids better than anyone else, so you can choose what they would like.)
There are two basic ways to go about choosing the food for your plate. You can either use an online tool to find the perfect food for your plate, or you can do a little bit of research on what kids like and don’t like and then choose your food according to that. (I’ll go into more detail on this below.)
Step 4: Mix & Match
The final step is to mix and match your plate’s elements. You have two options here. (More on this below.)
You can either go for one of the two designs featured above, or you can put alternating rows of different foods on your plate. (Think of an Oreo, for example, or a Snickers bar.)
Decide for yourself what you’d like based on the above steps. They should provide you with a good starting point, and from there, you can make a fully custom plate in no time!
As you can see from the above steps, there are several options for putting together a customized plate. To help you out, I’ve put together a short tutorial on how to make a completely custom plate. So, let’s get started.