Cooking is one of life’s valuable skills that you can teach your child. In this way, they will appreciate food safety and nutrition in addition to building their science, math, and fine motor skills.
Bringing your kid into the kitchen space can open a whole new world for them where they learn about different flavors, ingredients, recipes, and the how and why of mixing and measuring. In case you are wondering how to go about teaching your child how to cook, This article give 6 tips to help teach your child to cook.
- Build their Motivation
Instead of taking your kid right into the center of action in the kitchen, consider spending time together watching a cooking television show. This will give your child a visual idea of different cooking processes, utensils to use, and inspire them to start prepping their meals.
As part of the motivation, involve them in creating special menus which you then proceed to prepare together. Let them suggest and reflect on the various food categories to include as this can spur their creativity.
Naturally, children are inquisitive and tend to enjoy processes such as cooking where raw ingredients transform into a complete meal.
2. Assign them Simple Kitchen Duties
Before they get to the point where they handle the hot stoves and sharp knives, let your child participate in simple meal related processes such as setting the table, carrying food dishes to the dining table, and taking away the used dishes after a meal.
Even though some of these tasks may look remote, asking your child to help in drying dishes, sweeping, or emptying the cutlery basket gives them the discipline of a master chef. Most of these duties demand that they hang out in the kitchen thereby becoming more comfortable with time.
Cooking is both an art and a science, every little attribute count. Allow your child to develop these soft skills early enough.
3. Incorporate Fun Cooking Utensils
Make the cooking process as fun as possible by using unique cooking utensils. There is no rule cast in stone that a particular utensil can only be used in a specific way. If you are running short of ideas on the utensils to include, visit Village Bakery.
This is a resourceful platform that showcases among other things, specialty appliances, kitchen appliances, baking equipment, and other necessitates. Just as an idea, you can get cookie cutters and potato smashers for 3 to 5-year olds; peelers and blunt scissors for 6 to 7-year olds; food thermometers, kitchen knives, and pans for 8 to 12-year olds.
4. Begin with Simple Meals
Snacks and breakfast meals are some of the easiest to prepare. The point here is to introduce your child to the basic meal assembling process so that they can begin with minimal supervision. Instruct them and then give them space as you watch them mixing the cereals and milk, scooping yogurt and pouring juice.
Children love being in control and therefore even when helping them out, do part of the task and let them complete the other part. For instance, you may add the toppings to a pasta salad and then give them the space to create their own little pasta salad.
5. Address Basic Safety Skills
If your child is age 5 and above, it is easier to enlist their help with the actual cooking. Safety in the kitchen is paramount and the earlier your child gets it the better. Teach them safe knife skills by assigning them the soft and easy to cut ingredients such as tomatoes and bananas.
When it comes to the boiling pot, teach them how to stir gently so that the fluids do not bubble out or spill and scald them. If the pot is not very heavy, train them on how to take it out of the oven.
6. Pick Favorite Recipes and Cook Together
Being the closest person in your child’s life, you must have noticed what they like to eat. Starting with such recipes that interest them, shortens their learning curve and opens the door to more fun. You may be surprised by their ability to grasp even fairly complex recipes simply because of their interest.
The process to teach your child to cook is not any different from the other learning processes. The more your child practices in the kitchen and takes instructions from you, the more their knowledge is reinforced. Introduce variations from time to time and try giving them space and some independence in the kitchen. You never know what they are capable of doing until you try it.