How To Get Your Kids In The Kitchen
Getting your kids in the kitchen creates some really cool opportunities for learning and connection.
But we understand if the thought of having your kids invade your clean and tidy kitchen makes you a little twitchy! It can take a LOT longer to get dinner ready when you have “helpers”.
But letting kids in the kitchen can help them develop all-important skills.
They might need a little bit of gentle persuasion, especially when there are veggies involved! We promise it will be worth it though!
So dust off your apron, get out the step stool and invite your kids in.
Who knows, you might even have another Nadia Lim or Jamie Oliver on your hands.
Why Is It So Important To Get Kids In The Kitchen?
Helping out in the kitchen teaches children plenty of skills. They can learn about:
Health and nutrition
The kitchen is a great place to learn about healthy eating, why some foods are better for us than others, and the difference between processed and natural foods. When you are making dishes, look at how the different food groups work together and talk about a balanced plate.
New tastes
Tasting as you go along is part of the fun of cooking and a great way to introduce children to the different flavours that make up a dish. If they have been involved in preparing the dish, they might also be more inclined to taste it.
Literacy and numeracy skills
Reading the recipe and ingredients labels, weighing and measuring the ingredients - that’s all reading and maths. And the best thing is that children often don’t even realise they are learning because they have so much fun cooking. If you make something like bread or hokey pokey, you could probably even throw a bit of science in there too.
Social skills
Being in the kitchen can be a good exercise in teamwork, especially if you have more than one child! Children learn how to share, how to work together, and other skills like cleaning up after themselves and maintaining hygiene. Making and sharing a meal is also a great way to bring your family together to spend time and strengthen your bonds.
Independence
Cooking is one of the best skills children can learn before they leave home. Being able to cook a few basic meals as a teenager makes an activity like flatting with friends or at university much easier. Plus, it’s super handy for them to have these skills while still living at home as they can take a turn preparing family meals when they are an appropriate age.
Having those skills can boost your child’s self-confidence and independence.
How To Get Kids Of All Ages In The Kitchen
Worried your kids might be too young? You shouldn't be, it’s possible to do things even with young children in the kitchen. You just need to make sure that the tasks you choose are appropriate for their age and ability.
Make it easy for them by getting the right equipment, such as child-size knives and steps or high seats, to help them reach the counter.
The other key to having kids in the kitchen is to try and relax and not worry too much about the mess or about how the finished dish looks!
Here are some tasks that different ages can help with:
Pre-schoolers can:
- Wash fruit and veggies
- Prepare simple veggies that don’t need chopping like tearing lettuce or breaking off broccoli florets
- Mix ingredients or shake ingredients together to make a dressing
- Stir cold ingredients (with a bit of supervision)
School-age children can:
- Measure and weigh ingredients
- Chop simple ingredients with supervision
- Use a mixer with supervision
- Flip things in a pan (thing pancakes and burger patties) with supervision
Older children can:
Follow a recipe and measure the ingredients
Chop and mix
Put things in and take things out of the oven
Cook on the hob with supervision
Make simple meals by themselves
Lebanese Food Is A Great Way To Get Kids In The Kitchen
If you want to get your kids into the kitchen, then cooking Lebanese food is a great way to do it.
Why? Lebanese food is…
Easy to make
Lebanese food has some wonderful simple dishes that kids of all ages can help to make. Try our Fattoush Salad which has lovely fresh vegetables like tomatoes and radishes and a tasty dressing, served with pita bread.
Older children can help with chopping and measuring out the dressing, while small children can help to tear lettuce and mix the salad together. Or choose our falafel wrap meal kit, which has everything you need to create a meal.
Healthy
With a focus on fresh produce including lots of vegetables, Lebanese food is healthy and can help you get your 5 a day. And when you shop with us, you get natural ingredients with no added colours or preservatives.
Great for sharing
Lebanese food is designed for sharing and is often set up mezze style, which basically means there’s a little bit of everything. This is a great way of eating with kids because everyone can pick their favourite bits. Seeing everything laid out in small amounts and getting choice can also encourage children to try some new flavours.
Super tasty
Last but not least, Lebanese is super tasty - no need to explain further!
So, if you’d like to use some of our products to get your kids in the kitchen, you can shop online and we’ll deliver them to your door.
