Children love to feel grown up by helping their parents in the kitchen. Allowing a small child access to your kitchen may seem like a disaster waiting to happen, but it can be an incredibly rewarding experience for both you and your child. Whether your child is in preschool, kindergarten, or grade school, with a little planning you can both enjoy the bonding that occurs from cooking together. Just follow these tips:
- Choose the Recipe Together
Preschool children get more excited about something if they feel they have contributed to the idea. Choose a handful of recipes with pictures, an allow your child to pick the one he or she would like to try. If your child is 4, give him or her 4 choices; 5 for 5 year olds, and so on.
- Go Shopping Together
Make out your shopping list of ingredients and head to the grocery store with your preschool or kindergarten child. Send him or her on a mission to find the items-in close proximity to you, of course.
- Assign Age Appropriate Tasks
Avoid giving children tasks that are too complex for their age. A toddler can stir, while a kindergarten child can probably handle cracking eggs. Always be available for help if it is needed, but do allow them to try each task on their own, under your supervision.
- Discuss Kitchen Safety Rules
Talk about how important it is to wash your hands before preparing food and demonstrate this to them. If you will be working with electric appliances, go over the rules of using those appliances and explain that you need to handle this part. Stress the dangers of hot stoves and ovens and show them how to work safely around the heat.
- Don’t Be Afraid to Make a Mess
Cooking with a preschool or kindergarten child is going to be messy, so resolve to not let that bother you before you begin. Flour can be swept up and broken eggs can be wiped up, but the memories you make together will last a lifetime.
