Kids can start learning some basic cooking skills

When is dinner ready? Wouldn’t it be nice to ask your kids that? Parents should cook with kids from an early age.

Cooking is a great way to bond with your kids while teaching them life skills. It is a way to teach essential lessons while you get chores done. Kids can start learning some basic cooking skills as early as 3 or 4 years old – ripping lettuce into pieces; kneading dough, dropping spoonfuls of cookie dough onto sheets, folding napkins, etc. As children get older, they can take on more complex duties and ease the burden on the parent doing the cooking.

There are so many reasons why it is important to cook with kids, but here are my top 10.

1. You will teach them life skills: how to feed themselves.
2. You will have quality / bonding time together. Kitchen chats while you are preparing food are a great way to catch up with hectic lives.
3. You can teach your kids kitchen safety under your supervision – to avoid accidents later.
4. You can teach your kids about health/science: how stuff grows, what organic is, what is local & imported, etc.
5. Teach your kids how to choose fresh produce and meats: what to look for, what different cuts mean, what to do with older produce (soups, quiche, stews, etc.)
6. You can teach your kids about nutrition: why it is important to get many different vitamins; the basics of fats, carbs, and protein; portion control, etc.
7. Teach your kids how to read recipes & plan menus. They can learn to write shopping lists based on the menus. Planning a dinner involves timing- a way to teach about time management.
8. Kids will learn math lessons: measuring, fractions, costs per items/servings & how to save money preparing their own food.
9. You can spark kid’s imagination and creativity. Let them make platters or dishes with nice garnishes or fancy presentations. Have them make beautiful appetizers or desserts they can serve at parties to boost self esteem. Let them have fun mixing cookie dough with their bare hands and experimenting with color and texture.
10. You will benefit from having a helper in the kitchen to help you cook, set the table and clean. Now which busy parent doesn’t need that?

Cooking lessons do not need to be limited to the kitchen. The next time you go grocery shopping, bring your child along. Show them how to pick out the best meat and produce. Teach them to read labels and look for bargains. Discuss food combinations and menu ideas while making a shopping list. At restaurant meals, discuss the presentation, food combinations, seasonings, etc.

There is a big world of food beyond the fast food take out window. Teach your kid to enjoy making their own healthy and tasty meals so they can enjoy better, and less expensive, food.

There are free recipes and sites on the internet geared to teaching kids to cook. Your kids can do some extra learning on their own or you can both learn together.

Tags: basic cooking, folding napkins, hectic lives, math lessons, plan menus