Teaching kids to cook can be a little intimidating for some of us. But, if your child is hanging out in the kitchen and asking questions, it’s probably time to begin nurturing a love of healthy food. Here are seven fun, safe, and educational ways to make teaching kids to cook easy, and when to start.
At a certain point, parents begin to assess their view of the kitchen. Is it dangerous for a child? Should I teach my child the basics, such as tools in the kitchen, or should I just keep them out (and safe)? What is the best way to protect a kid in the kitchen? Also, many don’t even know what age to start teaching kids to cook.
Watching other children enjoying a cookie recipe may be fun. But teaching kids to cook safely and correctly may also feel like a burden. In this article, you will find the fun tips you need to teach your child how to cook and take it seriously.
Teaching Kids to Cook: 7 Tips for Delicious Meals
1. Treat cooking like a game (with rules)
Indeed, this first tip is more about you than the child. You may be thinking of all the potential dangers inside the kitchen and all the ways a kid can get hurt. So, before beginning any lesson, relax your mind.
Your child will not see the dangers of knives or a burning oven. They aren’t nervous, because they don’t understand the risks. Consequently, cooking to them is a game, and they will enjoy the satisfaction when a delicious meal is ready. Before introducing any tool to your child, remember that you must show your child the joys of spending time cooking. Children feel anxiety, so it is up to you to make it a fun and relaxing experience for them.
Make sure to talk to your child about safety as you go, and do not allow them to do things that are too risky. They will develop a love for cooking, and you can save knife-work and open flames for later.
2. Organize Each Step of the Lesson
The easiest way to begin is by cooking with your child. Research shows that this type of activity helps them eat healthier just because they are involved in the process. Imagine that you teaching a presentation on fruits and vegetables to an audience who needs to be attracted to it. But your audience is a few years old and enjoys taste tests to make verdicts.
Teaching kids how to cook means developing their skills in more areas that it might seem. When you measure ingredients and calculate their quantity/recipe, you turn cooking into math. By mixing the ingredients, you show them the practical side of science. And imagine the tiny dose of chemistry they witness when the cookies bake in the oven.
3. Make Sure Everything Is Safe
At first, you may need to hide the sharp knives, hot liquids, and cleaning products from your child. The first lesson means a lot of information – enough to make them confusing if they stop being fun. So you will need to back-up your child and make sure that safety comes first.
You can explain the whys and the hows to your child. But make sure they understand the risks more than the rules.
4. Adjust to Your Child
Teaching kids to cook could be fun. But, if you don’t pay close attention, it may become frustrating and tedious for your trainee. Choose the recipe wisely – as they will take longer than they should just because each part of them has the same importance to your child.
There are plenty of recipes you can begin with. Don’t stop at cookies or salads. If you want the lessons to be complete, you can focus on both developing your child’s skills both into preparing and plating.
5. The Freedom Lessons
When teaching kids to cook, keep in mind that they tend to get creative every step of the way. They are creating a meal, so their purpose will be to follow the rules their way. The child may chop ingredients, or add them differently. When this doesn’t destroy the meal, just let them be.
You can focus on their favorite activities during the cooking process, regardless of their age. This way, you may try to predict when their creativity may burst. But remember that, in the end, the purpose is for your child to learn the basics and enjoy them. The point of teaching kids to cook is also to let them improvise. This way, you can focus on their self-esteem, and encourage them into being attracted to cooking. It’s not the top recipe that matters – but that your child made it.
6. Turning the Hard Part into a Game
So, you are now an advanced master in teaching kids how to cook. However, as many parents do, you may have avoided going to the next level with the lesson that involves the risks: using the knife. You can only introduce the knife and other delicate and risky tools to your child if you accept the fact that they need to learn how to use them.
There are plenty of cooking books and tutorials on the Internet. However, you can try a short video from a recognized chef, who already has kids. Choose the best method and make sure that your child can control all the tools properly.
7. The Essence of the Lesson Lies in the Result
Now, lunch is ready. It tastes and looks in a particular way because teaching kids to cook turned out to be fun. But now it is time for your child to receive the reward that will complete the painting of his/her cooking: enjoying the result.
When your child sees and tastes its creation, you can determine if they understood the recipe and how it works. This is the essence of hands-on learning. It is now time to eat the food together, and let them take the credit for their work.
Teaching kids to cook is part of their education, together with swimming, foreign languages, and others. For your child to have super skills, you will need to make sure that the lessons are flawless. However, it’s just a matter of time until your baby will sneak into the kitchen while you cook, and ask more questions or even ask to help. Some may even ask about a particular ingredient of the food while eating it. Then, you will know that your lesson has been successful. So, enjoy its results!
Have you taught your child how to cook? Which activity did they enjoy most? Where did you have difficulties? Share your experience and tips with other readers!