There’s no doubt that getting your children involved in the kitchen is going to help them develop their love of food but it can be a challenge and it can be messy! So, here are my tips to ensure both you and your child enjoy your time in the kitchen together and make the most of the activity.
1. Channel your inner Girl Guide and ‘Be prepared’!
2. Don’t promise or offer a cooking activity unless you’re sure you’ve got everything you need to go ahead.
3. Think: do we have time to cook? Cooking with a child will double or even triple the time it would normally take.
4. Are you and your child in the right frame of mind for cooking together? If you’re in a bad mood or stressed or emotional or if they’re tired and on the verge of a meltdown, it isn’t the time to cook together!
5. Think about what you’re cooking and know which activities are suitable for the age and skill level of your child. If there are going to be periods when they can’t be involved (e.g. you’re at the hob and it isn’t safe for them), prepare to give them some extra activities to do. I often just give A scraps of veg to practice her chopping skills! She thinks she’s helping and is more than happy to crack on with me keeping an eye on her.
6. Have everything out and ready to go. They have limited attention spans and just want to do, so you need to be ready to do! This might be having all the ingredients and utensils out. It might also mean, for really young children, having ingredients weighed out in bowls ready to assemble.
7. Embrace the activity and see it as yet another very messy craft activity that’s going to require clean up time!