One of my favorite things to do is to cook with my kids. When we cook together, we get to spend great quality time while being productive. Cooking together is also sharing in valuable life lessons, and introduces important life skills. You child will be introduced to new smells, new textures and even new vocabulary. There is also a lot of math and science involved with cooking.
Although sometimes we all cook together, I find that spending that one-on-one time with each child separately while cooking can be a lot of fun and allow me to focus on the lessons on hand in an age-appropriate manner.
My youngest child who is a two-year-old toddler, is a morning person like his mom. So while everyone else sleeps in on the weekends, he helps me cook breakfast.
I started cooking with each of my children at very young ages. Even babies can get the benefit of being in a warm kitchen surrounded by good smells.
Here is how to get started.
First, let’s get safety out of the way. When cooking with children, it is important to take some safety precautions.
- Keep young children away from any hot surfaces or areas where hot pots could tip or spill.
- Do not allow young children to play with knives, not even butter knives.
- Provide plastic, not glass, measuring cups and bowls, and supervise their use at all times.
- Provide a sturdy stool (a high chair at the kitchen table often works nicely for preparation tasks), or if you allow your child to sit on the countertop, keep one arm around the child at all times or block him with your body to prevent falls.
- Do not leave your child unsupervised. If you must leave the room, take your child with you.
Don’t allow your young child to handle raw ingredients such as raw eggs or raw chicken that might lead to salmonella if your baby puts his hands in his mouth. - Don’t leave a bag of chocolate chips within reach of your child. I had to throw that one in!
Next up, I’ll share cooking with the wee little babies. It will be a lot of fun!
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. Starting June 1st, don’t miss her articles in the Baby Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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