Guest Post: Cook With Your Children

Dan Gilbert, from Primrose Schools approached me last week about featuring one of his posts to my readers. I think that teaching your kids is one of the most important jobs as a parent, and I'm always looking for fun ways to help G grow and develop. One of her new favorite ways is to help in the kitchen, and Dan sums up how you can incorporate your kids helping you cook! Thanks Dan, for writing this post!

Cook With Your Children: A Recipe for Fun in the Kitchen

Offered by Dan Gilbert on behalf of Primrose Schools; a safe preschool environment where children receive a balanced education allowing them to flourish in all aspects of life.

With pots and pans clanging, appliances whirring and timers ringing all coupled with the wonderful aromas filling the home from the kitchen it is absolutely no wonder children often find some way of expressing interest as to what goes on in the making of dinner. While it might be so very intriguing to children it can also be quite intimidating, but with a little encouragement and proper supervision children can be brought into the cooking experience and the result can be both rewarding and educational, not to mention delicious.

So, how can parents bring children into the kitchen safely while still keeping it fun? Follow this simple recipe:

1. First things first—set some ground rules. Educate your child regarding general kitchen safety and procedures for safe food handling. Teach children to always turn pot and pan handles toward the center of the stove to avoid accidentally spilling hot liquids or food. Make sure they know what is safe to touch and what is absolutely off limits, such as knife blades and burners or other hot surfaces. Also, let children know what foods are safe for them to handle, and reinforce surface and hand washing to avoid cross-contamination and the spreading of germs. The most important rule, however, is just for parents: children must be supervised at all times in the kitchen.

2. Establish independence. It is important to get children involved in duties, which they can handle, by themselves. Mashing potatoes, mixing batter and separating lettuce are just a few of the duties children can easily do. Not only does this foster both self confidence and a sense of independence but it can really let them know that they are truly helping out in the process.

3. Connect the dots. Parallels can be drawn between skills used in the kitchen and those being learned in school. Counting out ingredients, measuring liquids and keeping track of cooking times are just some of the real-life applications of skills with direct correlation to those being learned at school. As older children spend more time in the kitchen they can begin to take part in activities which can challenge their coordination skills more, such as cutting soft ingredients like cheeses, vegetables and some fruit.

4. Finally, and most importantly, strive to keep the entire process fun. With so many demands being placed on parents' time, and distractions so readily available for children nowadays, quality time in the kitchen can be a great way to revive a sense of family. Keep in mind that cooking is not always a tidy affair, so focus first and foremost on safety and enjoyment, and address cleaning up as you go—it need not be a chore saved for later if treated as simply a part of the process of preparing a great meal.

To wrap up the process, parents should praise and thank their newly crowned sous chefs for their help, perhaps even letting them try the first bite. Parents can further engage children by asking them what they liked about the meal they helped create, and ask for menu suggestions for next time.