G etting kids into the kitchen to cook with you is a win-win situation, no matter how old they are and no matter what you make. By interacting with you in the kitchen, your child will gain more than just learning how to cook. First and foremost, you will have the opportunity to foster a greater sense of intimacy between you and your child. Here are a few other positive results from interacting together in the kitchen, which are then broken down into age groups:
- Reading and following recipes improves math, science and reading comprehension skills.
- Eating dishes from other countries enables learning about other cultures, foreign languages, and geography, and provides a culinary vocabulary.
- Learning about food preparation enhances organizational and cleanliness skills.
- Chances are greater that your child will eat the healthy food you are making if he helps.
- Cooking together strengthens feelings of responsibility and being a valued member of the team, will form a lifetime of good memories and help to strengthen bonds.
Preschool: Fine motor skills are enhanced with motions like pouring and stirring; counting ingredients and amounts teaches simple math skills; and working as a team reinforces socializing, learning how to share, and taking turns.
Elementary: Math, science, and reading skills are practiced and improved; an understanding of other cultures and traditions can be taught; the rudiments of nutrition can be learned; and basic cooking skills are learned.
Teenagers: Cooking skills and techniques are refined and knowledge of global cuisine can be enhanced; a sense of success and accomplishment is gained by making a dish or a whole meal.
How can you get the kids more involved in the kitchen?
Here are five steps to a successful time together:
1. Ask them what they'd like to make, to give them a sense of control and self-worth.
2. Read the recipe first together so that you know what happens and in what order.
3. Take out all of the ingredients ahead of time and have the proper tools ready and grouped in the order in which you're going to use them.
4. Have towels at the ready.
5. Practice patience and have a sense of humorthe two most valuable tools!
Creating a Kid-Friendly Kitchen
While small children definitely require a kitchen in lockdown status, no matter what the age of your child, there are a few things every parent should do to keep the kitchen safe.
- Danger with a Capital D
While age-appropriate equipment and tools should be in a place where your child can easily reach them, dangerous items such as knives, kitchen scissors, matches, igniters, and anything with sharp blades, like food processors, should be kept out of reach. Depending on the child's level of maturity, this can apply to households with teenagers as well. Also, a small child needs a slip-free step stool.
- Clean-Up Time is All the Time
Non-toxic cleaning supplies, a broom, and a mop should be easily accessible to your kids so that cleaning up becomes an integral part of the cooking/eating process. Get a few fun, funky aprons to have on hand.
- Keep them Inspired
Cookbooks, nutritional guides, food magazines, bookmarked food Web sites, and other inspirational materials should be easily available to kids.
- Stock Wisely
"Sometimes foods" (cookies, candy etc) should be placed higher in the cupboard so that they cannot easily be reached or be within the line of sight. Healthier snacks, such as fruit, pretzels, nuts, raisins, mozzarella sticks, on the other hand, should be easily reachable.
The preceding is from Real Food for Healthy Kids by Tracey Seaman and Tanya Wenman Steel, © 2008, reprinted by permission of William Morrow/An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. To browse inside the Real Food for Healthy Kids cookbook, click here.