If kids playing with a doll house or romping in a sand lot is heartwarming, watching kids cooking is a proud moment for a parent. Kids cooking should also be a time to teach them values they can benefit from later in their lives.

Suggestions to help make the occasion of kids cooking a valuable experience for everyone are:

• Stress the plan. Kids cooking can look at the whole experience as just a game. By cooking with kids, you can help them learn many valuable life lessons. Start by making them draw up a plan so they realize that it is something serious.
• When cooking with kids, involve them in every stage of the plan: from choosing the recipe, gathering tools and ingredients, or even taking them shopping. Even if you are cooking with them, give the kids cooking the control of the kitchen and hold them responsible for the whole program.
• Explain to all the kids cooking the importance of hygiene. E. coli outbreaks and other similar problems have emerged recently to highlight the importance of food safety. With kids cooking, it is critical to stress the need to wash one’s hands, keep tools and utensils clean and be aware of the condition of the ingredients used.
• Point out the need for safety. Kids cooking must do so in a safe and secure work environment. Work tables should be of the proper height, stools must be slip-proof and electrical outlets adequately protected. Knives, scissors, matches and other sharp objects must be placed where they cannot be reached without the necessary permissions. Pre-school kids cooking must be provided with their own utensils. Cooking with kids is a good time for you to check on the condition of your kitchen.
• Keep close supervision over kids cooking. When you are cooking with kids, do not leave any of the kids alone in the kitchen. Teach kids cooking how to use the stove properly. For pre-school kids, teaching them about burns and how a stove can be dangerous is important. When cooking with kids who are older, the mechanics of the stove and the principles involved can be an interesting topic to discuss during the cooking activity.
• Make it fun. Kids cooking will be either bored or have a lot of fun depending upon who’s teaching them. Use the time you spend cooking with kids to improve their education. Stirring or measuring can be turned into a math contest. Get the kids cooking to read recipes out loud in order to practice their reading skills. Teach the kids cooking how to create their own designs.
• Show the kids cooking that cleaning up is an important part of the process. Use idle time when cooking with kids to clean up tables, tools and utensils. Impress upon them the need to put things back in their proper places. Demonstrate how much better the finished dish looks in clean surroundings.

No related posts.