Cooking with kids

Cooking with kids is not only fun but can be a valuable learning experience too.

Cooking with kids is not only a great family time or bonding experience but it can help children learn self-help and life skills too.

A child learns so much more than just cooking a cake.

Cooking provides opportunities to learn problem solving, patience, listening, numeracy & literacy skills to name a few.

It’s a good idea to check if the recipe is applicable for kids to use before you start. By that we mean is it achievable for their age and development.

Ensuring the recipe fits the child’s skill and stage of development will means they are not set up for failure and will gain a lot from the experience and want to cook again.

Preparation is a large component to successful cooking.

It is not nearly as much fun for a child if there is very little that they can do as their part in a recipe.

• Wash hands before starting.
• Read the recipe and have all the ingredients and utensils you need before you start in one place.
• Measure the ingredients as listed accurately.
• When mixing in a bowl. TIP – Place a cloth underneath to help stop it slipping but still hold it so the child can mix easily.
• Get the child involved in the clean up as it is part of the cooking (albeit the not fun part).
• Allow more time. Yes, it will probably take longer to cook with the kids but it is a life skill they are learning not to mention some quality time with you. For the child is it so much about the journey…the doing the cooking, rather than the destination…the result, although if it’s a desert then its a win win for them.
• Be prepared for mess, and lots of it probably. This is the best way for a child to learn, through the doing but they are not masters like us adults so there will be mess. You can prepare for some of this mess by cleaning as you go, having aprons on to protect clothes (if that’s important to you), have a plastic sheet on the floor, etc, but the fear of the mess shouldn’t stop the joy of the doing.
• Talk with them about what they want to cook and the recipe before you start to make sure that they want to do this recipe and also so that they can share their thoughts and ideas.
• Chat! Now is a great time to bond with your child but it is also a great time to chat about the food, origins, etc as well as about things in their life.
• Make sure the recipe suits the age and ability. There is no point for either of you to do a recipe that is too difficult or has little involvement for them.
• Have fun!