Kids in the Kitchen
Kids have a place in the kitchen! Letting little ones help prepare and cook family meals is a great way to spend time together. It’s also an even better way to help kids learn about what ingredients go together and how to turn them into a delicious meal. This is the perfect time to involve your budding young chefs and we have some ideas to help make the most of meal prep…
Think back to your first memories of being in the kitchen at home. Who was with you? What foods did you find fascinating? Is there a smell that can “bring you back” to those days? Food has the incredible power of being able to make an imprint on all five of our senses and creates memories for a lifetime.
However far back your memory may go, it’s likely that you were in grade school or perhaps a little younger. There’s a reason for that. Kids as young as preschool age can be introduced to the joys of the kitchen by letting them explore pots and pans, to help open up a container of milk, or to put away fresh produce. Getting your children involved in prep work such as washing off vegetables for a salad and shredding lettuce with their hands.
Kids can learn what the ingredients for a meal are by asking them to pass you different items. Younger children can identify foods by their colors, while older kids can read bottles of spices or measure out exact amounts on their own. Let children help you to add the ingredients to a pot or pan so that they can safely see how things come together through the process of cooking.
Cooking provides a terrific outlet for creativity as well. Encourage pre-school or kindergartners to “decorate” a dish with pre-cut garnishes like herbs or lemon. Place foods in bowls that are easy for small hands to hold and let them serve themselves and other family members. Kids learn when we let them learn, so don’t fuss over spills or bits of food that might fall.
Talk about foods from different cultures or pick a “secret” ingredient and have older children create a menu. Let them help you create a shopping list and then show them where to look for different food sections in the grocery store. Younger children can help in the store too. Designate a “produce picker” and have them choose the greenest pepper or count out loose items like potatoes.
Getting kids involved in cooking lets them help in little ways with a big impact. Having them choose ingredients, help with shopping, and plan out family meals builds up self-esteem. Learning how foods come together to create a healthy dinner creates a lifetime of skills and positive associations with mealtime and how food can make them feel.
Reference: CCE http://ccesuffolk.org/resources/feeding-young-children; http://ccesuffolk.org/family-health-and-wellness