Nutrition

Lettuce is a source of vitamins A, C and K as well as folate.

Shopping Guide

Lettuce is best when served as fresh as possible, so try to buy lettuces that don’t show brown spots or heavy signs of wilting (although if they are wilting in the fridge – don’t throw them out, just cook them into a soup!).

Storage

To prep and store lettuce, wash it thoroughly and dry completely with a salad spinner or a clean tea towel. Then wrap in a paper towel and place in a bag or container.

Preparation

For a quick and simple lettuce salad: Wash and cut the lettuce and mix with your favourite fresh veggies. To make the dressing mix 3 parts olive oil with one part vinegar (balsamic, apple cider or white wine vinegars all work), add a pinch of salt and ground pepper, mix it up. Only drizzle over the lettuce just before serving to avoid it going soggy.

Kids in the Kitchen

For a younger child, why not show them how to wash lettuce leaves and get them nice and dry to get the water off. They could make a dressing with you by mixing a little mustard, a glug of vinegar or lemon juice and a good few glugs of oil in a jar, screwing on the lid tightly, and shaking to combine!

For an older child, it could be a great opportunity to learn some essential knife skills, using the claw grip to help shred the lettuce.

Find more ideas for involving kids in the kitchen here.

Sensory

Crispy lettuce little iceberg or romaine or little gem is perfect for exploring through sound. Grab some crispy lettuce leaves and crunch them together (use earphones while crunching to get extra volume if you like) or snap them with your hands by your ear if not up to eating it. Describe what the crunching sounds like. Another way to explore is to get a handful of some sort of fresh herbs, and explore the mild smell of lettuce vs the strong smell of the herbs, and see how they go together. You could even make a mini “herb salad” with lettuce leaves, fresh herbs and dressing to add taste if your child feels like it.

Find more sensory ideas, tips and videos here. If you get stuck and need a little help with describing words, we have a selection for you here, too!

Serving

Next time you serve a meal featuring lettuce (especially if it’s something your child had a small hand in preparing), ask your child to design a beautiful menu for the table, with special emphasis on the lettuce (maybe it’s featured in an image or a funny play on words)…

Find the best ways of involving your own child and their skills and interests on our Roles for Kids page.

Activities

For lettuce, why not try making a funny face on a plate with lettuce hair? You could use other veg for eyes, nose, mouth, etc, and use big lettuce leaves or shredded salad for fun hair styles.

Kids more interested in science? You can find more at-home science fun with veg with our videos from Stefan Gates’ here.

Find loads more free veg-themed crafts here and games here.