We all want to raise children that can look after themselves, and one of the most important skills we all need in the Big Wide World is knowing how to cook. The fact is that teaching our children how to cook could be a long journey but we’ve got to get them started at some point. There may be a time when you are working long hours and you need your children to make healthy meals for themselves. But additionally, allowing your children to cultivate cooking skills can be an amazing skill that they will take into adulthood. What can we do to get our kids cooking at home?
Make It Fun
Rather than thinking that you need to get your children to make a three-course meal, you are better off taking the stress out of the situation and making it a bonding experience. Take some time to ask your kids what they would enjoy eating. While they will no doubt want to learn how to make white chocolate and cupcakes, this is fine, but you’ve got to make sure that there is a balance of knowledge. Take them to a farmer’s market or supermarket and ask them to pick out some things that they would like to eat. When you get home, you can look at recipes that have those ingredients. You can also give them their own kitchen cabinets so they can store their own ingredients to prepare their own meals.
Start Simple
There is no need to get in over your head. Picking something that is easy to make and doesn’t require slaving over a stove is a great way to begin, especially with younger children. Starting by making smoothies is a very simple approach. Of course, you’ve got to supervise them at all times. Another approach that could make a big difference would be to get them to make a parfait. By mixing up the ingredients by hand and letting them set in the fridge, you’ve got a nice little snack. But you can also incorporate a parfait with plenty of goodness. Sprinkling some chia seeds or having a couple of walnuts in there alongside raspberry, chocolate, and some milk is a great little option. If you have really young children, you can start even simpler. Asking them to assist you with preparing the food by asking them to mix vegetables into a sauce or shaking seasonings are all great ways to get them into the kitchen.
Preparing Lunches
Lunches are less labor-intensive, and when you have a toddler or a young child, you can introduce simple cooking skills to your children by prepping lunches. Young children can start to spread butter or mayonnaise on some bread, and when they are helping to make the food, they are more inclined to eat it, which means that you could slowly push the boat out and become a bit more adventurous in your suggestions. But always remember that, when it comes to lunches, you need to give them a balance. Ensuring that they have a good dose of protein, for example, with a hard-boiled egg as well as carbohydrates through whole wheat bread will make a big difference to their overall diet.
Look for Cooking Classes
If you want your children to feel more independent, there are plenty of resources online that you can watch with your kids. This is a large variety of cooking videos on YouTube that also enables your children to refine certain skills. For example, learning how to make al dente perfect pasta is a fine skill that can help them to refine their abilities.
Stepping Away at the Right Time
If you want your children to get started with cooking, you are going to have to help them become more independent. Because we have to remember that cooking is not about the perfectly formed final product, but is more about experiments that we can tweak over time. If your child is old enough and they know how to use the oven and stove safely, you can step away so they can become a bit more independent. It also shows that you can trust them to make the most of the skills you’ve taught them. The fact is that when we get our children into the kitchen it’s a lot to do with our abilities to trust them. Because while you can make many homemade treats without baking or cooking, if you really want to get your children started on this amazing journey, a little bit of trust goes a long way.
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