Parenting Tips: Teaching Kids to Cook

You've really taken on a challenge when you're teaching kids to cook right? Between the measuring, combining, timing, and other things to keep straight, you have some real hurdles to jump. However, there are some good ways to make this job easier on the kids and you, the teacher that I read about in an informative article on this topic out of the Parenting School Years March 2011 issue. I've also found that some of these cooking ideas work over my own years as a parent prepping food in the kitchen with my 8 kids.

Work Space

Little ones do better with a designated spot they know is theirs to accomplish their cooking goals. In the Parenting School Years article, they suggest that using a cookie sheet to give them a clear visual for where they need to work is a good way to establish this with them. It gives them a clear space to work as well as containing the mess.

Plan Ahead

Taking a few minutes prior to the cooking event with your child, to get an idea as to what you'll exactly be getting involved in will help you decide what tasks you'll be giving your little chef. Once you've established what those tasks will be, you can then make a more organized plan for executing the food preparation. If it helps, make yourself a list so you don't forget the order of how things should be implemented.

Slow Down

Often times, because we have spent a lot of time in the kitchen, we make the mistake of thinking that our child knows the short cuts like we do and is able to work as fast as us. From my own experience, that can be a huge source of frustration. To avoid that we need to slow down for our child and keep them at a slower pace than ourselves so they can feel successful at their cooking endeavor.

Plastic Knives

This article suggests that plastic butter knives take a lot of the danger out of kids cutting themselves while slicing simple foods. I've found this to be the case myself when I'm cooking with the kids. It's good reassurance to know that you don't have to worry about any significant cuts when you hand them a plastic knife to use with a slicing task in the kitchen.