Fun For Kids

Fostering a safe, healthy, drug-free community

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What’s a great way to spend time and have fun with your kids, teach them about healthful eating, get a meal on the table, and maybe even sharpen their vocabulary, reading and math skills—all at once? It’s cooking with your kids! Teaching children to prepare their own food gives them important skills they’ll use for life and a sense of accomplishment, which can boost their self-esteem. It’s a fun way for the family to spend time together and for you to teach important lessons about healthful eating habits and kitchen safety. If your kids are fussy eaters, you’ll be glad to know that when they help prepare foods, they’re more likely to try them, which can boost good nutrition. And when kids know their way around the kitchen, it can be a time-saver to help you get meals on the table quicker! Before you get cooking, check out these tips for a kid-friendly kitchen. Take your role as “head chef” seriously. Closely supervise kids to head off potentially dangerous mishaps and to teach them how to keep food safe. Make safety their first cooking lesson. As soon as kids begin helping with meal and snack preparation, teach them how to safely use appliances and utensils, and what to do if there’s an emergency such as a fire or they get burned. Be sure to always start any cooking activity with hand washing. Assign kids age-appropriate tasks. Kids as young as three years old can help with simple tasks such as stirring a bowl of ingredients or tearing up lettuce for a salad. As kids get older, they can take on increasing responsibility, with teens being able to prepare recipes by themselves. Be strategic about nutrition. Most kids don’t eat enough fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Have them lend a hand in preparing these foods because they’ll be more likely to eat them. Make it a learning experience. Teach kids nutrition lessons about the food they’re preparing. For example, milk, cheese and yogurt contain calcium that helps build strong bones and teeth, and fruits, vegetables and whole grains have fiber that helps them stay healthy. Or, have them assign foods into the correct Pyramid Food Groups. Read recipes together and discuss the meaning of new words such as “knead” and “sauté.” Work on their math skills by giving them tasks such as measuring ingredients or counting the number of strokes when hand mixing a batter. Share the fruits of your labor. Sharing your culinary creation gives you time to talk and reinforces cooking as a positive experience and a sense of accomplishment for kids As a bonus, the family might enjoy cooking together so much that you do it more often, and rely less on eating out or takeout foods—a step towards better nutrition for everyone.

Kootenai Alliance for Children & Families

(KACF)