Teaching your kids to drive may be easier than tutoring them to cook. At least, the former has brakes!
Feeding nutritious food to your child is one of the biggest responsibilities of any parent. We all love cooking innovative recipes for our little ones – just to see the spark in their eyes and watch them relish the scrumptious grub!
However, making children self-sufficient is another important task of parenthood. As they grow older, it is cardinal that children imbibe the skill and knowledge to feed themselves.
Having your kid excited about decorating cookies is rather simple but getting him/her interested in everyday cooking is a different ball game altogether!
Have a look at these guidelines to impart basic culinary skills to your children.
1. Keep the Anxiety in Control
The kitchen is an area housing several risky gadgets. Ranging from pointed knives to searing hobs – there is plenty of equipment to get you worried and nervous. Remember kids are quick at assessing adult anxiety and it gets transmitted in no time. So take a deep breath, relax and tutor. Keep a close supervision but let the moods and atmosphere be light!
2. Entrust With Important Chores
If you can make them feel important, half your job is done! Engage children in jobs that are fun to do but offer a sense of accomplishment.
Allow them to measure ingredients, arrange the toppings on the pizza, crack the eggs or mix the batter. The end result of this cooking adventure may be a chaotic kitchen but the smiling faces will nullify it all!
3. Commence With Their Favourites
It is human to give in to temptation! In order to develop interest towards the activity, begin with one of your child’s favorite dishes. Keep the nutrition part of the deal for later! If it’s a pie or cookies, they are keen on – let it be so! Very soon, they will graduate to salads as well.
4. Educate Along the Way
Kids are like sponges when it comes to the uptake. They have an immense intellectual potential to imbibe new vocabulary and definitions. Don’t forget to introduce them to the correct terminologies. Let them use terms like sauté and sear. This step is an important part of skill building. After all, these intricate details impart the true knack and render a holistic feel of the skill!
5. Value Their Style
Assist but don’t control. Allow a free hand at experimenting and innovating with a traditional recipe. A contrary step will not only kill the mood but also suggest you don’t trust their opinions. Making their own decisions about what they eat is a channel of empowering and instilling a sense of ownership in them.
6. Widen Your Horizons
Utilize this time together in a meaningful manner. Take this as an opportunity to acquaint your child to broader subjects encompassing food such as the importance of nutrition, diseases linked to a deficiency of nutrients, foods in different cultures and so on.
7. Remember the Ultimate Goal
The fundamental objective of this entire activity is not to cook fancy delicacies or compete with the best restaurant in town. The agenda is to encourage and build independent survival streaks in your child.
At the end of this exercise, your child should be happy, more confident, independent, and above all be able to feed himself without your mandatory presence!
Bon appétit!
