This morning, on WFLA’s Daytime, I taped a [lightbox href=”http://youtu.be/Uiw2nAnIEhM”]Click Here[/lightbox] about cooking with children. My focus was on engaging youngsters at an early age to get them excited about trying new foods, eating nutritiously and enjoying the process of creating something from scratch. I’ll be posting the video clip soon.
In the meantime, I wanted to share some cooking tips that I didn’t have time to feature on air. These tips are valuable, in terms of helping children develop an affinity for cooking and good eating habits when they grow up.
Of course, I’d love to receive any suggestions you might have! To the person who posts the best suggestion, I’ll send brand new cooking utensils from Lego. They’re adorable!
- Cleanliness is key. Encourage children to wash their hands before and during meal preparation. Explain the importance of hand-washing and food safety.
- My Space: Create a drawer that’s just for the kids. It can include microwavable bowls, plastic utensils and measuring cups, plastic cookie cutters, sponges and potholders.
Teach children how to pick perfect produce. Show them what to look for in a ripe vs. unripe banana or peach, for example. Soon, they’ll be able to select what you need on their own!- Asking for help is a good thing. Explain to children that chefs work as a team. So, when a child needs help, he should feel free to ask for assistance. It’s the right thing to do.
- Place very young children on a stool in front of the sink and give them plastic measuring cups or measuring spoons to play with. At this age, they can still get a sense of being involved.
- A great introduction to cooking is to have children mix together meatloaf ingredients with their hands. Younger children who love messy things will really enjoy this experience!
- Dropping batter into muffin tins is another safe activity for children in the kitchen. Rolling cookie dough into balls is also a fun activity.
Table setting and dish washing are always good jobs for older children and teens. Both are important life skills.- Also for older children, show them how to remove hot plates and pans from the oven using mitts or pot holders. Explain that steam can be just as hot as an open flame or electric coil.
- Keep a list of emergency phone numbers handy (i.e. fire department, paramedics, poison control). Everyone should know where it’s posted.
This is such a fun, and rewarding activity to do with your children. Not only is it quality time, but giving them lessons to learn and take with them into adulthood. My daughter just turned 7, and loves to help me in the kitchen. I have started designating one night a month to her and her brother who is 4, choosing what we eat for dinner that night, and with our help they get to prepare it. This month it was breakfast. She got to scramble the eggs, which she was very proud of, and did a great job, turkey bacon was easy for her to flip with no grease splatter like real bacon, and she toasted our bread to perfection. We’ll see what her and her brother will come up with next month. I can’t wait!
Awesome list!
My four year old loves to read me the ingredients and instructions to recipes we use, especially when baking.
Measuring with the measuring cups and counting ingredients, such as eggs, is a fun way to teach them math skills.
He likes to make different colors by mixing primary colored food coloring, and mixing it into treats such as the frosting on top of cupcakes! (Then he gets to ice them, of course!)
One more thing – he loves to help Mommy (and Daddy) plant veggies, water, watch them grow, and eventually reap the delicious rewards when they are ready! He loves his veggies!
Hey Tina,
We are just back from spring break. I enjoyed your segment! You cover alot of ground in just a few short minutes, impressive. I am cooking with Abigail’s Brownie Troop of 16 today. I am showing them pancakes from scratch, and Hungry Jack to compare. We are adding fruit, carob chips, etc. We are making yogurt shakes, and yogurt sundae’s. I hope to bring Spinach brownies for the snack. I heard they are yummy & assume many of my 7 year olds don’t love spinach. We are going to surf, allrecipes.com, on line & pick out a few 5 stars to print & send home. The kids will likely enjoy picking & printing their recipes of choice. Your rice pudding is adorable. Thanks for your great ideas! Lisa Scribano