Cooking is an excellent way for kids to spend quality time with their families and less time in front of the screens. It even helps them to develop better eating habits in the future. But getting your kids inside the kitchen to work is not always easy. Isn’t? Many kids find cooking in the kitchen a boring task, while others find it exhausting. For such kids, try out these simple and effective tricks to get them cooking in the kitchen.
1. Start With Small Cooking Tasks
To begin with, give your kids small and age appropriate chores around the kitchen, like running the mixer, washing fruits, pulling out the ingredients from the fridge, shaping the cookie dough with the cutter, reading the recipe from the book, and so on. Small tasks will finish quickly and they will find the chores less intimidating.
2. Let Your Child Pick A New Recipe
Once they are happy doing the small chores, encourage them to make a new recipe along with you. You can go through recipe books, videos, and websites together to find that one new dish that your kid would love to try. Be it the main course, starters, or simply dessert, let them pick a new recipe to keep them enthusiastic about cooking.
3. Take Your Kid Grocery Shopping
After deciding on the new recipe, take your child along with you for grocery shopping. Let them pick vegetables, fruits, meats, sauces, condiments or anyother thing that are required for the recipe. Do the preparations together at home and let them add all the ingredients one by one while cooking (under supervision). This will make them excited to see the final dish. And do not forget to appreciate their efforts and give them credit for creating the dish. This will make them excited to try on new dishes in the future.
4. Give Your Kids Their Own Tool
To engage your kids in cooking, get their own set of kitchen tools like spatulas, laddles, and more. Teach them how to use the tools carefully. You can also get them an apron with their name inscribed on it. This will not only make your kid extremely happy but even motivate them to use them for cooking. If possible, make a child-friendly place in your kitchen to help them function better.
5. Let Them Explore
Do not question their creativity or ideas. If your child wants to make a new dish with their idea, do not stop them. Let them explore. Allowing them to show their creativity will help them to create new dishes, which could either be a hit or a miss. In case of miss, the child will try to come up with ways to fix the recipe and make it better. This way they will also learn an important life lesson. So, encourage your kids to use their imagination to make new dishes as per their liking.
So, what are you waiting for? Try these tips today to encourage your kids to cook. You will be surprised to see their creativity.
You can also read 5 Easy and Healthy Kid’s Lunch Box Ideas for Busy Parents
