From cutting themselves with utensils, to making one giant mess of your kitchen, teaching kids how to cook is not an easy task.
But it is important. Not only do kids need to learn to take care of themselves, they also need to learn about healthy eating, and the sooner you teach them about food and food preparation, the more likely they are to take an interest in all things kitchen-related.
But where do you begin? And what is appropriate and at what age? Read on…
18 months - 3 years
From 18 months, many children show an interest in helping out mum in the kitchen. Take advantage of this by getting them to do basic things, such as:
- Washing vegetables
- Mashing food with a fork
- Stirring a mixture
- Putting ingredients into scales
- Washing utensils
3-5s
This age group are much more capable of following instructions properly. Of course, they’re also more likely to test the boundaries, which can mean they end up putting themselves in danger. With that in mind, keep a close eye on them but let them do more complicated things, such as:
- Weighing food on the scales
- Cutting soft ingredients (e.g. butter, berries) with a strong plastic knife
- Tearing (e.g. lettuce)
- Sieving
- Mixing ingredients together, with hands or a spoon
- Kneading (kids love this!)
- Spreading (e.g. buttering bread and spreading icing)
5-7s
Kids from this age group can cope with trickier techniques and equipment. You can start introducing small knives and scissors now, but exercise care and remember that all kids are different – one child might be sensible enough at 6 to handle a knife, but another won’t. Activities they’ll be able for include:
- Cutting using a small knife or scissors (child-friendly, if you have one)
- Grating (don’t let them get too close to the end of the food, in case they hurt their fingers)
- Peeling hard-boiled eggs (run the eggs under cold water for a minute first)
- Greasing a tray
- Measuring and beating
- Setting the table
8-11s
As well as all of the skills that younger kids can do, kids over eight can get more involved with the planning stage. This will give them more independence in the kitchen, which will encourage their interest to continue building. Some activities they can safely do include:
- Following a basic recipe (with mum's help)
- Peeling vegetables
- Whisking
- Using heat on a hob or microwave (supervised at all times)
- Making salads
- Opening cans and tins
