The kitchen is one of the most loved spaces in a home. It is where creativity meets science and helps prepare healthy and tasty meals for one’s family members. Kids especially find this place enticing and so they try to utilize their curiosity in learning more about cooking. When children observe grown-ups preparing meals or beverages, there is a hidden urge to try it all by themselves too. Kids, too, feel like helping their parents and participating in the task of cooking food or arranging the vegetables/fruits or other ingredients for it. Thus, this is the best time to introduce your little ones or even schoolgoers in the kitchen space once you, as an adult, identify this urge in them.
Cooking not only adds a dash of learning for children, but it also instills confidence in them. Moreover, cooking food together also enhances the bonding and attachment between one another. So, to start with, one can introduce the little toddlers by passing on the vegetables/fruits to the person who is cooking meals. Adults can play a team game where kids are encouraged to work and help their parents do the cooking task. Gradually, as kids start getting settled, they can help in preparing the base of the dish or mixing all the ingredients, pouring in a baking tray or arranging them in cupcake formats, cracking the eggs, etc. This will make the activity fun. Moreover, there are more benefits to this for different stages.
1.Preschoolers:
Kids at this stage enjoy placing the dishes and handing them over to adults for meals. They also observe the process of how the plates are used and later washed. This creates a sense of responsibility in them.
1.Schoolgoing children:
Children in this phase can be educated about the ingredients that are used for preparing meals. They can be briefed about the different phases of preparing meals, i.e. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Also, simultaneously parents can tell them about the importance of consuming nutritional food items to selecting the right food for them.
1.Teenagers:
In teens, children are capable of taking their culinary skills further and preparing food properly, along with adult supervision. Also, they can select their desired cuisine and learn particular dishes as well.
In addition to this, parents get to spend quality time with their children. Right from preparing meals to having food together on the dining table imparts pleasure and strengthens relationships as well. But, there are certain factors that one should consider before involving children in the kitchen.
1.Right timing:
Involve kids in the kitchen when you are not rushing with your routine or schedule. Kids take time to open up and get adjusted in a kitchen space. Also, it is important to be patient with them. This will help them in learning at ease without getting stressed or frustrated. For example, One can choose Saturday evenings or Sunday mornings for cooking with kids.
1.Selection of tasks rightly:
When you are planning to cook with kids, it is important at the same time to plan the dish that you’re going to cook. For example: If you are cooking a pancake recipe, then keep the ingredients ready beforehand to smoothen the further process, or if it is birthday time and you are following a cake recipe, then involve them throughout the cooking and baking process. You can also decide the steps which your kids can do and involve them in it.
1.Ensure safety:
Kids should cook or help in the kitchen only under adult supervision. One should not assume and leave the premise to them. There are certain elements, such as a gas stove, blender, mixer-grinder, OTG, etc, which should not be touched or operated by kids. Also, keep educating them about the safety guidelines while working in the kitchen.
Conclusion:
Cooking with kids is undoubtedly the best family time. One should do it often and make it a habit to cook with kids on a regular basis. This is a learning experience as well as a blessing in disguise to bond better with one’s kids.
