Cooking with kids involves both learning and playing. And as a parent this is a great opportunity for you to bond with your child. Preparing food with your kids is fun, but it can get quite challenging due to their high energy and never ending silly-sweet questions.
So, before you introduce your child to the art of making food, there are few pointers that you should keep in mind.
Safety
Safety under any circumstance should be your priority. Before you start cooking with the kids, articulately guide them about the dos and don’ts so that there are no unfortunate accidents. If you kid is small, then keep her/him away from sharp knives, stoves and electrical appliances. Also keep a first aid box in handy to treat minor cuts and burns.
Tasks
Assign your child kitchen tasks based on their age and skills. Give them something extremely easy to start off with. So that they can positively enhance confidence in their culinary abilities. For instance, you can initially ask them to assist you with washing vegetables or adding simple ingredients in the mixture.
Plan recipes with your kids
It is important to be aware about your child’s interest and dislikes. So, ask your kid about what kind of foods does she/he fancy. Discover where would they like to start from, for example you can take up desserts or baking if your kid wishes to whip up a sweet course.
Don’t forget to take them for shopping. This will allow them to explore and learn about various kinds of ingredients. It will also give them a chance to compare quality and costs of various food products.
Experimenting
On occasions your kids will insist on trying things that might come across as eccentric. But understand their motivation behind such endeavor and encourage them. This will give them a sense of empowerment as they get to make their own choices for something as important as food.
Cleanliness
Kids and mess are best buddies. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Calmly explain them the importance of washing hands before cooking, and wearing an apron. As a parent, you must learn to be patient even when there is a lot of clutter and mistakes. Don’t turn cooking with your kids into a formal training process, go with the flow and have fun. You can gradually enforce your kitchen rules as you assign them with bigger responsibilities.
Appreciation
Kids thrive on positive response. So, no matter how small the achievement is, don’t forget to express your happiness about the done work. This is will encourage them to do things better, and will deepen their interest in cooking.