The Holiday is different from every other break. We were already on a 14 days ‘Stay At Home’ and Easter met us still on lockdown, and when it’s time to cook, it’s really a tough one considering having to deal with kids and their tantrums. Although cooking is a fantastic family activity, and there are many ways to get kids involved no matter how old they are, rather than play all day long! These steps are just what you need to get the kids involved in the kitchen.
Begin with Appropriate Expectations
Before starting anything, you must have the appropriate expectations of what the children can and cannot do at their age and level. It’s also a smart idea to have another adult in the kitchen to help you keep an eye on your young chef.
Measure and Pour
Young kids can watch as you measure wet and dry ingredients, explaining the terms “cup,” “teaspoon,” and “tablespoon.” Once you level the dry ingredients, your child can pour them into a bowl. This is a great time to practice counting (to keep track of how many cups or teaspoons are already in the bowl). They can learn some cooking basics and use their math skills to help combine ingredients for recipes.
Stir and Combine
Teach them the practice of stirring and combining dry ingredients using a wooden spoon, a fork, or a spatula. They can learn to use different techniques; beating or whipping ingredients using a whisk or fork. When they stir ingredients together, teach them to scrape the sides to incorporate everything.
Clean Up together
Toddlers see how the utensils and dishes are put away, that way they learn and feel like they are helping out. You also can utilize the time to talk about good nutrition and why you chose the utensils and ingredients you used. It lays the groundwork for healthy cooking and eating habits later on.
Be Creative and Have Fun
Let your kids use their imaginations and be creative. If they want to mix Spaghetti and pineapple into a sauce or stew, give it a try. It might be good, you never know. Allow them to choose the toppings for their pizza or sharwama. Kids are great at thinking outside the box and it instills confidence if their ideas are taken seriously and respected.
Safety in the Kitchen
There is a lot of potential danger in the kitchen with hot ovens, stove, and sharp knives so having children involved can help teach them safety. The younger ones should use only safe tools like spoons, whisks, and spatulas. Teach older children the proper way to handle knives and electrical appliances. It’s also an opportunity to teach hygiene. Make sure everyone washes their hands often as well. Set a good example by doing these things yourself.
Loosen Up
Kids cannot be counted on to be neat in the kitchen. Even adults have trouble with that. To make your experience together more enjoyable, allow for some extra mess and try to be patient. To prevent cooking disasters, be sure your child doesn’t measure ingredients over the bowl, instead, you might measure them separately and put them in small bowls, as they do on TV cooking shows. Even if everything doesn’t go perfectly, try to keep a fun mood
Eating Together
The most important thing that can come out of kids helping in the kitchen is the bonding. Nothing is as precious as family seating together. Study after study shows that families who eat together are healthier and happier. Sitting around the table, talking about the latest development of the lockdown, you can ask your child to present his or her dish and explain how she helped make it. Make sure everyone compliments the meal, so he or she will feel proud and accomplished and want to help even more next time.
Finally, let them have the first taste of whatever you cooked together and ask what you should make together next time. Bon appétit!
The lockdown shouldn’t stop us from having fun in the kitchen with our children. We hope this guide makes the moment spent in the kitchen, fun, and exciting for you and your family.
Happy Easter foodies!
Thank you for stopping by.
