As a parent, you likely know the importance of involving your children in the kitchen, as it can be an educational experience, teaching them a range of self-care skills as well as cultivating curiosity about food. Not only that, but it can also be a great opportunity to create life-long memories as a family – after all, there’s something uniquely beautiful about baking cookies with a parent, and such a moment can turn into one of the fondest childhood memories of your kids.
But here’s the thing: the reality of cooking with kids looks a lot different than what you see on social media or the results on your Pinterest boards – and that’s okay! The experience itself is all that matters, alongside all the benefits that it can provide.
For example, school-age kids can learn some basics when it comes to cooking and even get to use their maths skills to combine ingredients needed for recipes. And you can take advantage of the moment to tell them about the importance of good nutrition and why you’re choosing some ingredients over others.
This will lay the foundation for healthy eating so they can make choices that support their wellbeing and health later on. On the other hand, teens will appreciate the opportunity to enhance their cooking skills, as it will allow them to be better prepared when they have to cook for themselves. Besides, they may also be interested in trying various cuisines ( Asian, for instance), which may inspire you to visit an Asian market and put together an authentic recipe.
Obviously, this kitchen togetherness will also be fulfilling for you as a parent in many ways, and while you may find it hard to invite your kids into the kitchen as often as you’d like due to time constraints or other responsibilities, remember that there’s no need to strive for perfection – after all, the process will look different for each family.
This blog aims to offer some practical tips for cooking with kids (and make it as enjoyable as possible), even when your daily life seems hectic. Read on!
Create a Child-friendly Kitchen
As a parent, you probably worry about the safety of your kids when exposing them to sharp kitchen utensils. That’s perfectly normal, but it shouldn’t be the reason why you don’t involve your children in cooking activities. Instead, consider designing the kitchen in a way that allows kids to participate, such as investing in a kitchen learning tower (there are hacks you can use to make your own budget version if you find it to be too expensive).
Such a design adjustment will enable the kids to get up close to the kitchen counter, giving you peace of mind knowing that they are safe as they do the cooking with you.
When first designing your home, you may not have thought about making the cooking space as child friendly as possible. Your main priority at that time probably was to choose between the allure of black kitchens and the boldness of blue ones.
But the good news is that there’s no need to make any expensive changes; in fact, you don’t need any fancy utensils or tools; instead, you can make a few adjustments here and there that will make your life easier and safer, including child-safe knives, easy-to-hold spatulas, a pastry brush and spoons, and so on.
Tailor the Tasks Based on the Kids’ Age
Obviously, you shouldn’t give your kids tasks that are above their abilities or comfort level around safety. For instance, anything hot should be more concerning than minor cuts from grating food. If you have younger children (or if they are just getting started with cooking), it’s a good idea to give them simpler tasks such as washing vegetables, stirring ingredients, or simply setting the table.
On the other hand, kids who are more experienced with cooking can take on more complex tasks like measuring, chopping, and following an easy recipe, as this will help them improve confidence in their skills.
Choose Simple Recipes
When cooking with kids, it’s a good idea to pick simple recipes that require minimal ingredients and steps, such as hands-on dishes like rolling meatballs or assembling pizzas. Also, don’t be afraid to get creative—you can let your kids decorate dishes with pastry strips, such as on a chicken pot pie.
Here’s the thing: not all kids will love cooking, and that’s okay! However, teaching them how to prepare basic foods, such as peanut butter on a sandwich or scrambled eggs, are crucial life skills, and your children will probably thank you later for getting them involved in the kitchen.
Make Cooking a Learning Activity
What’s great about cooking is that it can easily become a deep learning activity. For example, you can take advantage of this opportunity to help your child practice reading through the recipe. Or maybe they need to practise shapes, counting, or reading fractions or time.
It’s possible to even explore science during this activity by baking bread with the child and teaching them where the food comes from (for instance, making yoghurt from milk).
Get Some Inspiration
Getting inspiration from TV programs or characters and your kids’ favourite books can make cooking a lot more fun! For instance, 7-year-old kids can find salad recipes in a Bluey activity book, so why not go together to the grocery stores and help your child prepare the salad? They will likely be proud to make something as simple as a salad – especially if the inspiration is their favourite book!
You may even turn it into a friendly competition by drawing inspiration from a cooking show and organising a challenge or a tasting competition, which is a great activity for younger and older children alike.
Embrace Imperfection
Finally, we encourage you to lower your expectations when cooking with kids, as things won’t look like they do on social media. In fact, the entire experience will be a lot messier—but that’s what makes it special ( and real).
Remember to be patient and flexible and focus on the learning that happens and the joy that you share rather than achieving culinary perfection.
Spills and mistakes are where the moments of connection happen, so embrace them! If the cooking turns out well, that’s great—you can either pack it for lunch at school or serve it for the entire family. If it turns out to be a complete disaster, just laugh about it—in the end, it will turn out to be a great family story that you will be happy to remember later on!
The Bottom Line
As a parent, you probably have a very busy life, making it challenging to find the time to cook with your kids. However, we promise you that this can be a truly fulfilling experience that your kids won’t forget. Besides, it will teach them valuable life skills! So, don’t strive to make it the perfect cooking activity, but rather, embrace the imperfections and savour the results of your culinary adventure (no matter if it’s a failure or a success!).
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