Cooking is both a fun and educational activity that parents can engage in with their children. Science has shown that getting your kids in the kitchen in their early years is a great way to get the little ones to practice their basic math and coordination skills. The experience of creating a healthy meal is also a great way to help children build self confidence and lay the foundation for healthy dietary habits. If you’re a parent and are unsure of where to start, this is the article for you.
Today, we have a look at 6 essentials that you need in your kitchen when cooking with kids, so read on to find out more!
1. Gather Your Baking Arsenal
Kids absolutely love baking, whether it involves making a dozen cookies as a treat or healthy delicious breakfast muffins.
When baking with children, it is always advised to ensure that you prioritize their safety.
A great way to do this is to keep knives and sharp objects away from them, save the chopping and more dangerous activities for the adults and use items such as stand mixers instead of hand mixers as they provide a mode sturdy and safe means of mixing batters, doughs and icings. Basic measuring cups, measuring spoons, and kitchen scales are also a great way to encourage simple problem solving and mathematical skills when measuring ingredients out for your recipe.
2. Plastic Mixing Bowls
When it comes to cooking with kids, one can never be too careful.
If you don’t want your ceramic, glass, and porcelain bowls to end up falling on the floor and shattering into a million pieces, plastic mixing bowls are the way to go. Plastic is lightweight, helping your mini chef maneuver them more readily without accidentally dropping them.
Even if your little one does drop a bowl, you can rest easy knowing that plastic won’t shatter, break or cause harm to anyone in the kitchen.
3. A Small Knife
If you have kids that are old enough to handle a knife safely, we highly recommend purchasing them their own little tiny knife.
Larger knives may pose a safety threat to little fingers and should be avoided at all costs. Kid’s knives will enable you to teach your little one basic knife skills such as cutting fruit, sandwiches, cheese, and other food items without any nicks or cuts.
A great tip is to start your little ones out with a small serrated knife as it mimics the weight, shape, and feel of a regular chef’s knife without the added weight.
4. A Non-Skid Chopping Board
A non-skid chopping board is the perfect accompaniment to a child-sized knife and is a great way of ensuring that your little one is safe whilst chopping their ingredients. A chopping board equipped with a skid-proof base offers stability, safety, and anchors the board in place.
The last thing you want is for a chopping board to be slipping or sliding as it can result in a knife injury.
5. Get Creative With Cookie Cutters
Cookie cutters do a lot more than just create funky shaped cookies.
In fact, cookie cutters are a great way to incorporate some fun and excitement into everyday meals such as sandwiches or fruit salad. We don’t know of any kid that wouldn’t jump for joy at the sight of a dinosaur-shaped cheese sandwich or a fruit salad made with stars that have been cut out of your favorite fruits.
Getting the kids involved in creating their wild and wacky shaped dishes is also a great way to get them excited about eating healthy meals without throwing a tantrum.
6. Step Up With a Stepping Stool
Last but not least, if your child is still a little too short to safely reach the countertop, we highly recommend getting a non-slip stepping stool that will allow them to reach for ingredients a lot easier.
Also known as toddler towers, stepping stools are a fantastic and safe way of elevating your child in the kitchen and allowing them to comfortably reach for ingredients, bowls, and other cooking paraphernalia. Always ensure that you buy a stepping stool that is certified child-friendly in order to prevent any nasty accidents from occurring in the kitchen!
_________
Cooking with kids is one of the most wholesome and rewarding activities that parents and family members can do with the little ones.
We hope that this article has given you a few tips and tricks that you can incorporate into your family cooking sessions to make them even more exciting and rewarding for your children. Bon Appetit!