Teaching a child how to prepare a meal is not only an excellent way to engage in valuable family time, but it is also one of the most important learning experiences a parent can offer. Children who learn to cook develop a sound approach towards food and are less likely to complain about what's on their plate. In the long run, this leads to pleasant mealtimes and healthier eating patterns. But that's not all. Cooking lessons often involve skills such as maths (weighing and measuring ingredients), reading comprehension (understanding the steps in a recipe), fine motor skills (chopping, stirring and whisking) and even science (what happens to food once it hits the pan).
Where Does My Food Come From?
Before any actual cooking takes place, it’s a great idea to teach your child a little something about the origins of food. Markets are ideal places to begin a cooking session. Tell your child about how food changes with the seasons and show them how to choose foods when they’re at their best. How can you tell if a tomato is ripe? What should fresh fish smell like? Where do certain products come from? For an even more back to basics approach, you might even consider taking a trip to a local farm. Children will be delighted at the opportunity to pick their own fruit or see how cheese is actually made. These basic food lessons can even begin in your own garden or windowsill. Plant something with your child (cherry tomatoes, for example) and let them watch how it grows. They’ll be very proud when they finally get the chance to harvest (and eat) something they helped grow. Knowing more about food and where it comes from will truly teach a child to appreciate what they eat before it even gets to their plate.
Make it Pleasant
Once you’re ready to tie on those aprons, bear in mind that kids are more likely to learn when they're having fun. It’s a good idea to keep things simple at first. Choose short recipes that call for basic ingredients, don't fret when something goes wrong and come to terms with the thought that your kitchen might just look like a disaster area once all is said and done. Another good tip is to pencil in cooking sessions during the weekends or whenever you are less likely to be pressed for time. A meal that might usually take fifteen minutes to prepare, might take two hours when there's little helpers involved. At other times, you can still let your child help you with small tasks such as washing vegetables or tearing leaves for a salad.
Reap the Rewards Later
Preparing a meal is a rewarding experience for both parents and children. Parents will be amazed at the sense of accomplishment that radiates from a child who sits down to a meal they helped prepare. The payoff will come when they surprise you with something they cooked all by themselves or when you visit them at school and find out they're not living off prepackaged meals and junk food.
Tips
- Read through the recipe yourself first and set out all the ingredients you'll be needing children have short attention spans and they'll hack off if you have to spend ten minutes trying to figure out where you put the cinnamon.
- You are the best judge when it comes to what your child can and can't do. Some parents might consider a seven year old capable of handling a knife, while others would rather do the chopping themselves. Certain tasks, however, are best left to the adults. These include things like straining a pot of boiling pasta, taking food out of the oven or deep- fat frying.
- Before you start cooking, take the time to explain to your child the basics of proper hygiene and safe food handling. Tell them why they should wash their hand and teach them to use separate cutting boards for raw meat.
- But the most important tip of all is... have fun!
Paola Westbeek - After graduating from Leiden University in 2007, Paola Westbeek decided to follow her heart and begin an exciting career in the world of ...
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