The Importance Of Cooking With Your Kids
By pam
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I remember how my mom would let me participate in the kitchen every weekend. I can truly say that it has influenced my cooking and eating habits in many ways. But little did I know that she was teaching me more than just cooking.
Interacting with the children in the kitchen gives you the opportunity to promote better relationship with them. Epicurious.com believes that getting the kids into the kitchen to cook with you have many more positive results.
- Reading and following recipes improves math, science and reading comprehension skills.
- Eating dishes from other countries enables learning about other cultures, foreign languages, and geography, and provides a culinary vocabulary.
- Learning about food preparation enhances organizational and cleanliness skills.
- Chances are greater that your child will eat the healthy food you are making if he helps.
- Cooking together strengthens feelings of responsibility and being a valued member of the team, will form a lifetime of good memories and help to strengthen bonds.
Teenagers: Cooking skills and techniques are refined and knowledge of global cuisine can be enhanced; a sense of success and accomplishment is gained by making a dish or a whole meal.
Elementary: Math, science, and reading skills are practiced and improved; an understanding of other cultures and traditions can be taught; the rudiments of nutrition can be learned; and basic cooking skills are learned.
Preschool: Fine motor skills are enhanced with motions like pouring and stirring; counting ingredients and amounts teaches simple math skills; and working as a team reinforces socializing, learning how to share, and taking turns.
So how do you get the kids to be more involved in the kitchen? Here are five steps to a successful time together:
1. Ask them what they’d like to make, to give them a sense of control and self-worth.
2. Read the recipe first together so that you know what happens and in what order.
3. Take out all of the ingredients ahead of time and have the proper tools ready and grouped in the order in which you’re going to use them.
4. Have towels at the ready.
5. Practice patience and have a sense of humor—the two most valuable tools!
I really appreciate how my mom would show me her delightful kitchen tricks and allow me to learn by my self. I guess, once you enjoy being a mom and teaching them, they will also enjoy being your kids and learning from you.
But before you invite your kids into the kitchen, make sure that it is safe. Here’s how to make your kitchen kid-friendly:
- Keep dangerous items such as knives, matches, food processors, etc. out of their reach.
- Have non-toxic cleaning supplies, broom and mop accessible to the kids so that cleaning becomes a part of the entire cooking process.
- Keep healthy snacks such as fruits, nuts, raisins, etc in places that can be easily reached while place the cookies and candies out of their sight.
Have fun!
Image by mia3mom.
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This is a very nicely written post.
There is so much more to cooking than meets the eye.
Thinking about it, the same will be true for other activities we do with our children.
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