Despite the joys of making breakfast, lunch, and dinner for your kids, one day they’ll need to prepare a meal for themselves. Cooking is a necessary skill for any human being, as is teaching the importance of eating well and good nutrition. They gain the pleasure of great food. Teach your kids to cook and you’re giving them skills they’ll carry with them throughout their lives. Here are a few tips for getting your kids interested in cooking
No One Is Too Young To Learn To Cook
Any kid at any age can learn to cook. Begin by teaching them the basics. Put young kids in charge of measuring, adding, and mixing ingredients, and rolling and kneading dough. Trust the pre-teens to cut fruits and peel vegetables with a semi-sharp knife, use graters and zesters, and more. Teenagers can do the preparation and cooking with little supervision—but work with them anyway.
It’s a Learning and Sharing Experience
Another important tip for getting your kids interested in cooking is to keep the lines of communication open. Before the chopping, stirring, and baking starts, sit down with your kids and discuss what they’d like to make. Work on a meal together, choose the dishes, and discuss what goes into them. Review recipe websites and cookbooks—the library is an excellent source for both. Share old family recipes and the stories behind them while you cook. Make sure the kids understand that cooking doesn’t have to be a chore—it’s powered by tradition and fun.
Find a Class
If you want to keep things casual and be less of a boss figure, investigate in-person and online cooking courses. There are plenty of cooking courses available for kids and families. They combine the fun of a family outing without the pressure of properly preparing the evening’s meal. Having an instructor running things also takes some of the pressure off while you and your children learn to cook something new. Even if they don’t love school, kids will enjoy the excitement and entertainment of learning to cook in a new place.
Grow a Garden
Kids who are used to food only being purchased at the store will never develop a good relationship with it. Start a garden in your backyard with your children and produce your own, well, produce. Kids will love seeing their food slowly grow to maturity until they can cook with it. Teach them proper cultivation leads to better-tasting food.
