Paradigm is excited to be running our cookbook fundraiser! Even more exciting is seeing all the recipes you’re cooking up with your children! We are still looking for recipes to add to our Paradigm Family Cookbook. So, if you have a recipe that you want to share, please submit it for our cookbook. Sharing recipes from all of our Canton and Waterford families in a single book is a great way to teach your children about cooking. For all the fun, there still are things that need to be taken into consideration.
Tips For Cooking with Children
Cooking can be a fulfilling activity but also dangerous due to the kitchen equipment that is being used. Before you fire up the oven, Paradigm wants to give you some helpful tips to make the most of cooking time!
Start Small
If you are just getting your kids into the kitchen, it is important to start small. We highly recommend simple recipes to begin with, especially if you are cooking with young children. Simple recipes allow children to see the immediate results of their efforts and provide great encouragement that can carry them through tougher recipes. You can use a healthy recipe like fruit salad as a great starter dish! You also don’t have to start with a complete recipe and depending on their age, limit their responsibilities. For example, you can start by having your child press a button on the blender or dump a measuring cup into a bowl. Before long, you may see a master chef in the making!
Age-Appropriate Cooking Tasks
Many experts recommend introducing cooking to your children while they are young. This allows them to learn that cooking is normal and creates an ongoing bonding activity. However, it is important to give your children tasks that are age-appropriate for them. Toddlers can do tasks such as squeezing lemons and picking leaves off herbs. Meanwhile, children around 4 or 5 years old can do more advanced tasks such as cutting with a butter knife, peeling oranges and eggs, and setting the table. These are only a few examples, you know your child and how much the can or should do. No matter what task you give them, you should always be supervising and ready to assist. Remember, accidents do happen and safety first!
Embrace the Mess
Kids are messy, especially when they are in the kitchen. While you might want to correct or avoid spills, it’s an important part of the learning process. Children learn a lot about fine motor skills and math when they are cooking. So, we recommend you embrace the mess to come. You should put down sheets on any tables you are cooking on and make sure your children are wearing clothes that you are able to clean (or discard, if it becomes necessary). Other than that, you should encourage and allow them to do tasks you give them on their own.
Have Fun!
Most of all have fun. Sometimes the best memories are of the messes you make including the spontaneous food fights started while making cakes and cookies!
