Ouiam Charkani El Hassani says teaching children to cook goes far beyond giving them culinary skills—it gives them a sense of pride and independence.
There is something so satisfying for a child, who is usually the one being served, to be able to prepare something on their own and serve it to someone else. Here are seven fun and simple ways to introduce cooking to your child. They’re especially great for the school holidays or when schools are in virus-fighting lockdown.
Set them up for success with the right tools
There are a few basic things children need to be successful in the kitchen. First, a work station they can easily reach. This can be a small table in the kitchen or you can use a kitchen stool so they can reach the counter.
They’ll also need a few child-sized tools, like a wavy chopper, apron, cutting board, small wooden spoon and whisk. But don’t feel you need to buy everything at once. You can add to their kitchen tool collection over time.
Talk about safety, then back away
When you first introduce things like a wavy chopper, talk briefly about safety and any rules you might have, like keeping the work in the kitchen and keeping tools out of mouths, etc.
Then make sure not to hover as your child works. You can supervise of course, but from afar.
Introduce chopping
Isolating skills like chopping makes them easier for children to learn. Start with something easy like a cucumber. Make sure to give them a little bowl for the pieces they are slicing. Young children do better if it’s really organised and they know where to put things.
Invite them to help with dinner
Beyond gaining cooking skills, making a meal together really helps small children feel that they’re important and a contributing part of the family.
Introduce speciality tools
There are a few small and inexpensive kitchen tools that really help make cooking doable (and fun!) for kids. Things like an egg slicer (which is great for strawberries as well), or an apple slicer will keep things fun and interesting for your child, and let them practise with different foods.
Let them measure and mix
Measuring and mixing is one of the simplest ways kids can help in the kitchen. Choose a recipe that isn’t super precise, like soup, and show your child how to use measuring spoons and cups for the ingredients. If you’re worried they’ll dump in way too much, have them put things into a separate bowl, and then add to the main mixture so the whole recipe isn’t ruined.
Allow them to choose the activity
This may be the hardest part for parents. Do you really want to deal with the mess of letting your child practise their culinary skills on their own whenever they wish?
The key is to set your child up for success. If they are only three years old, don’t provide a lot of options so they are likely to make a huge mess. Instead, choose one simple activity like carrot slicing or peeling an egg, put everything they need on a low shelf where they can get it themselves.
Make sure to show them the whole process including washing hands before and after, and how to clean up. Make sure to specify that they should clean up the whole activity BEFORE eating the food they have prepared.
Once they have mastered the activity, including cleaning up, you can add another option. This is a great way to control the mess factor without hovering over your child, which totally ruins the fun!
Chanelmama
