Are you usually in a rush to get dinner on the table? Here’s an idea that will help kids and single parents – teach your kids to cook.
Kids often think cooking is fun. They like to be creative and enjoy making masterpieces along with eating them. If you teach them that cooking is enjoyable when they are small, they have a good chance of liking it when they are adults.
Hanging out together in the kitchen can be a great bonding experience. You get to spend quality time with your child, teach skills, and make a meal at the same time. Often, children will open up and talk more when they are doing something with you.
School skills can be worked on. Math is major when cooking as you have to measure ingredients which involves fractions, track times that food is cooking, and weigh food.
A three or four-year-old can participate in a limited fashion. Maybe they can mix something in a bowl or decorate cookies. Keep the activity suitable to the child’s age. A teenager can get hot things out of the oven or strain hot pasta. To avoid accidents, keep sharp knives and other dangerous items put away until the child is old enough to handle them. Even if you don’t plan for your child to use them, you could turn your back for an instant, and the child could hurt themselves.
Starting with washing your hands, explain what and why you are doing things at each step of the process. Encourage questions and suggestions.
You can find kid-friendly recipe books for ideas on what to make. Many kids like doing things with dough, mixing batters, cracking eggs, or topping pizzas.
During your culinary adventures, be sure to keep a fun atmosphere. Your kids will learn to enjoy their time in the kitchen, and when they are older, you can delegate the cooking to them!