At what age do you allow your children to help in the kitchen? At first, I used to put a movie on for my kids and tell everyone they had to stay out while I did my thing. I was the one responsible for their meals and they were responsible for staying out of my way. Does that sound mean? I didn’t think so at the time. I was preparing them meals, the least they could do was give me my space, right? Wrong. I quickly learned that some of my children longed to be in the kitchen helping. Once I realized this I began letting them in. Now, a decade later, I am writing this as my kids are making wonton soup from scratch and fried egg rolls filled with freshly chopped up cabbage and carrots (that they shredded themselves!) I’m not sure why but Asian food seems to be their specialty. They come up with their own dipping sauces, they love watching cooking shows, and they can look up any recipe, and I mean any recipe, and make it from scratch.
This certainly is not because I am an amazing cook. In fact, sometimes when I tell them my plans for dinner, if it sounds too bland for them they insist that they should take over because they want to both experiment and have a meal with more flavor.
How did this all happen? For one, I first taught them the basics. I had them crack eggs for me and help with simple meals at a very young age. I let them help wherever they expressed interest, even if it was just toasting the toast is the toaster. The first recipe that I usually teach my kids are eggs. I then let them move into lunches and dinners. Once they become comfortable helping with sides I give them a recipe to try. Once they perfect the recipes then they can move into what they want to make. This is where the fun begins.
Think about it, kids are little sponges when they are young. Everything is new to them. Learning the times tables and learning how to cook are both challenging but they both can be done by the end of third grade. If they don’t know that some adults never learn to cook then they won’t think it is hard. They will embrace it and do an amazing job. The biggest challenge is our fear. Fear that they will cut themselves or fear that they will burn themselves. Which is interesting because some of the sports we allow them to partake in are far more dangerous especially if they were to suffer a concussion, that could leave permanent damage.
I know when I first allowed my kids in the kitchen I had to overcome the danger factor. And the mess factor. I had a system where I would clean as I cook so there would not be a huge mess at the end. When I let my kids cook, it’s a different story. This is just another opportunity to teach life skills and even though it may be challenging at first, it is truly rewarding in the end!
