 For grownups, spending time in the kitchen might be a chore, but for children the kitchen is a fun and exciting place. Children love to cook and relish doing things like kneading and rolling out dough or cracking eggs and mixing batters. Cooking with your child is not just a great way of bonding – it’s also educational. Children can acquire and hone skills such as counting, measuring, weighing and understanding time and fractions – all without noticing. Children are seldom taught much about cookery at school so it’s up to parents to encourage them to experiment with cooking at home. The school holidays offer the ideal opportunity.
 Learning to prepare food teaches children to be self-sufficient and better prepared for an independent life. Getting children involved in the kitchen is also a great way to motivate fussy eaters. Children will eagerly tuck into something they have prepared themselves and take great pride in watching someone else enjoy their food. Children as young as four will enjoy helping you make the recipes that follow. Getting startedYoungsters will no doubt be excited at the prospect of getting creative in the kitchen, but before you get stuck in, there are a few things to consider. Here’s a quick checklist: - Read the recipe through with your child before you start so that you both know what you are doing.
- Clear a workspace and assemble all the equipment and ingredients that you will need.
- Depending on your child’s age, decide which parts of the recipe your child can safely manage. Older children are capable of taking cakes out of the oven wearing oven gloves but straining a pan full of boiling pasta is probably best done by an adult.
- Wash your hands before handling food.
- Carefully measure out what you will need and set the measured ingredients aside. Younger children will enjoy helping you do this while older children are capable of measuring the ingredients themselves.
Tip:It’s a good idea to clean up as you work. Put dirty dishes in the sink and wipe up any spills. |
