Cooking with Kids: Great Reasons to Cook with Kids
Great Reasons to Cook with Kids
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by Kat Kinsman
Getting the family together to make dinner might seem like a big hassle, but we've got ten reasons why cooking with your kids just might be some of the most rewarding time you spend all week.
1. It's a great way to spend some time together.
A family's got to eat, right? Dinnertime doesn't have to start with the plates hitting the table. Get the whole family involved in the preparation. Not only will it divvy up the workload and get kids some supervised hands-on experience -- it'll also give you all a chance to catch up on each others' busy lives.
2. It's fun to watch them discover new flavors.
They may gravitate toward chicken fingers and sweet treats right now, but there's a whole world of tastes just waiting to be discovered. It doesn't have to be a major production -- just agree to have the whole family try one new thing each time you make a major grocery store run. It might be a spice you've never seen before, or even just a funny-colored heirloom tomato. They might not all be winners, but you just might find a new family favorite.
3. It will boost their confidence.
Kids feel more and more empowered with every new skill set they tackle, and there are few more useful than learning how to feed one's self. If they know they don't have to wait for Mom to have a free second to fix them a snack, there's a good chance they'll skip the chips and do some experimenting with their newfound talents. It may not be gourmet, but it'll taste all the better for their having made it themselves.
4. These skills last a lifetime.
They're small fries now, but eventually, they're going to grow up and have to fend for themselves. While all the other kids in their dorm are scrounging up change for pizza, your kid will be whipping up a healthy, hearty batch of stew or a pasta primavera for all of his or her roomies. Hello, instant popularity!
5. Healthy eating begins at home.
With all the candy, snack, and fast food advertising out there, it's not as if kids are getting much outside encouragement to eat their veggies. It's up to you to show them why it's much cooler to reach for a carrot than for a cookie.
6. It's great to have a family ritual.
It might seem like the world is stacked against families just trying to spend a little time together. Coordinate your calendars, switch off your cellphones, and designate a night of the week for a no-interruption family dinner. It doesn't matter if it's Taco Tuesday or Spaghetti Saturday -- just so long as everyone pitches in and sits down together. They might even carry on the tradition with their own kids someday.
7. They'll feel like they're contributing.
Even if they've just stirred the pot or snapped the beans, the pickiest family members will be much more eager to try every dish on the table if they've had a hand in the making. No matter if it's an ingredient they'd usually shy away from, there's no way they'll resist sampling their own handiwork.
8. You're making new memories.
Remember the time you spent in the kitchen, chatting with your mom, dad or grandparents while you cooked up an elaborate weekend meal? Whether or not you have those fond remembrances, don't you want your kids to? For the rest of their lives, when they smell your signature marinara sauce, or a fresh batch of your classic chocolate cookies, they'll be thinking of you, and those warm, special times together.
9. You'll keep family history alive.
They'll want the same for their children. So much of family culture and identity is tied to food traditions, and as older generations pass on, it's up to the younger ones to pick up the whisk. Celebrity chefs and cooking shows come and go, but Grandma's buttermilk biscuits and Uncle Steve's old-country goulash will stand the test of time.
10. You just might get a nice surprise.
Yes, this is all about arming your kids with everything they need for a happy, healthy culinary life, but the more they learn, the better your chances are of waking up to a birthday breakfast in bed, or a surprise Sunday lasagna dinner -- made with lots of love.
Recent Comments
JackieHandunge 07:44:45 PM May 22 2009
Thanks for the interesting article, came across another interesting site and would like to share it with other moms –http://www.bizymoms.com/kids_cooking/index.phphelps you teach your children to cook and information on the numerous benefits enjoyed by moms who encourage their kids to cook. Check it out as there are loads of healthy recipes and easy and fun online cooking classes which you could enjoy with the help of your kids.
One S GUY 11:03:32 PM May 14 2009
I work at as a Registered Nurse at the Burn Unit of Akron Children's Hospital in Akron, Ohio. I was appalled and shocked on that show that had a 5 year old child cooking, and a mother encouraging a child of that age to cook. To make matters worse the child said he was in a pouch when he was even younger when his mother was cooking. Do you realize how dangerous that is?Legally, that is at the least gross negligence in probably all 50 states!You have set back our child safety program 20 years by demonstrating your ignorance. Do you realize if that child is burned, that mother is going to be arrested for child abuse? It is entirely inappropriate and dangerous for any child anywhere near that age to be using that kind of heat and flame.A child may know how to boil an egg, but a child suremay not know what to do when he is injured and the stove is on fire. Just one day with me at work seeing children horribly burned and scarred and you would be reduced to tears to even think of doing wh
LBRESOURCE 07:26:02 PM May 10 2009
besides teaching them that all food is not preprocessed and that they can make different meals you may be pleasantly surprised. I would have my daughters make a salad everynight for dinner. They would always say they didn't want salad at dinner and I was fine with that, because as they were making the salad they were giggling and eating the lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers along with whatever they were adding that day. So by the time dinner came I knew that they had consumed vegetables.
BbBennett 10:59:50 AM Apr 13 2009
All of the above... and children LEARN from these life experiences. This is how children learned before public schools. Cooking alone involves math, chemistry and (depending on the dish) physics. Granted, there are fewer people living "the simple life" on the farm and there are so many activities that take up family time, including 8 or more hours of school a day. But for the families that make healthier time choices for themselves... cooking together is just ONE of the many activities that bring a family closer together, as well as educate children to be the better citizens we want them to be. (a la the dormroom cook that knows more than how to push the "popcorn" button on the microwave. :-)
Yvpons 10:07:18 AM Apr 12 2009
"Live is Beautiful" for those that have seem the movie, you can related when we talk about kids. Is important to make the kids love what the have, that meands food and other things. Kids learnd by playing and to make fun while cooking will inhance the avility to the colors and taste.
DonaldAndMaria3 03:57:09 PM Mar 27 2009
this article is very..........................................................who cares
Noxon1204 01:04:20 PM Mar 19 2009
My heart is full of memories of my grandma, and cooking in her kitchen with her; I watched,felt and experienced her love for God, her family,and her friends, as well as strangers in need, extend through her cooking, and as she passed it on to me, I now have the feeling of her spirit living on in everything I cook. I feel her presence every time I pull out her big bowl that she mixed bread and cookies in, or the big roaster pan,that she made the holiday turkey in, or use her utensils and silverware, etc.One memorie leads to another, and the smells and sounds and feelings of love that was her gift stay with me. Yes, do cook with your children!
