Involving kids in the kitchen can help build strong relationships and healthy eating habits.
Getty Images
No matter which holidays you celebrate, one common theme among all special occasions is clear: Food. Imagine grandparents, parents and children alike all coming together in the kitchen to share family recipes passed from generation to generation. Not only do families have fun creating memories and family traditions in the kitchen, family cooking is also a great tactic to help your child build healthy eating habits.
Now, it is true, teaching your child how to cook may take time, it may take patience, and it most definitely will take extra cleanup. However, cooking with your kids has the benefits of making them more inclined to try nutritious foods and sit at the table fora structured family mealtime — and let’s not negate the quality time you will get to spend with your child that does not involve sitting in front of a screen.
Here’s how to get started:
GET THEM INTERESTED: Parents need to display role model behavior when it comes to preparing and eating nutritious foods.Keep the dialogue with your child open when preparing a healthful meal and remember to explain why you choose to eat foods such as fruits,vegetables or whole grains.Kids like to eat the food they make, and getting them involved in preparing foods they otherwise would not be willing to try can help combat picky eating.
GET THEM HANDS-ON: Children of different ages can provide assistance at different levels. Allow your youngest children to help with tasks such as:
- Washing fruits and vegetables
- Tearing lettuce or greens
- Mixing and pouring premeasured ingredients
- Cutting fresh herbs with kid-safe scissors
- Setting the table.
Whereas older children can take on a little more responsibility such as:
- Measuring liquid and dry ingredients
- Cracking eggs
- Peeling oranges
- Preheating an oven
- Boiling water
GET THEM CREATIVE: Allow children to use their creative skills and go “off” recipe with guidance. A fun exercise is playing with different spice and seasoning combinations using plain popped popcorn. Allow your child to smell and experiment with different spice combinations to sprinkle on plain popcorn to see which seasonings they like best.
KEEP THEM SAFE: It is important to emphasize safety in the kitchen,from food-borne illness to risk of physical injury. No one knows your child better than you, so it is best for you to determine when your child is ready to help with using a heated oven or stove top. If you do not think your child is ready, start with a lower-risk kitchen appliance such as a crock pot or toaster oven.If your child is old enough to use a knife (at least 10), ensure the knife is sharpened and add protection with a steel glove and strict supervision. Also, don’t forget to review the importance of good hand hygiene.