If you have kids, you know the messes that come with them. So when they start asking if they can help you in the kitchen, it’s understandable that you shudder at the thought of what kind of disaster that could bring. Kids need to be welcomed into the kitchen though. It helps teach them responsibility and learn a useful life skill.
Here’s how to get cooking with your kids!
1. Make it age-appropriate
Handing a knife to a toddler is definitely a no-no. But letting your toddler stir a bowl of ingredients together is a great way to get them into cooking. Older children can be trusted with bigger responsibilities, like using the stove, under your supervision of course.
2. Plan it out
When your kids come to you and ask to help cook on a busy weeknight, you have full license to politely shoo them away. Instead, tell them you’d love to plan something to make together over the weekend. Browse through some recipes that you could handle making with your kids and then let them choose the one they want to try.
3. Gather the ingredients together
Part of teaching kids to cook is teaching them how to get what they need to make the recipe they’ve selected. Make a list and have them help you check it off at the supermarket as you gather everything you need.
4. Prepare with safety and hygiene
Everyone should wear an apron, tie back long hair, and keep their hands clean. You should also invest in safety knives if you have bigger kids before handing over the real knives for them to use.
5. Don’t rush it
Even the simplest recipes will take longer with kids. Think about the first time you make a new recipe compared to the 10th time you make it. Now remember that feeling as your kids move through the directions and take your time.
6. Forget the mess
As previously stated, kids are messy. There will be spills and messes galore in your kitchen when you cook with your kids. Those things can always be cleaned up later. Don’t stress it! Try to live in the moment and make happy memories cooking together.
7. Give them more power
Some recipes allow for more versatility than others, like pizza for example. Let your kids decide what they’d like on top. Let them put the toppings on the way they want too. Leave your OCD out of it even if they haphazardly dump toppings on. Giving them control of these things allows them to get more confident in the kitchen so that in time, they will be able to make bigger decisions and more Instagram-worthy meals.
With the holidays upon us, let your kids into your kitchen. It’s a gift for you as well as for them, one that will result in some of your happiest (and messiest!) memories.