10 July 2013

Kinder Kitchen's Kid's Chores - How to get your children involved in the kitchen

Well it's another sunny day in London and my house has fully warmed up after months of feeling cold through. So, it's nearly the summer holidays and I'm starting to think of free and fun activities to do with my children.

Cooking with your children and preparing your meals together is a great way of spending quality time with each other. Depending on your child's age and their ability there are many things you can get them to help you with. The more you allow them to do, the more confidence they gain. My daughter is nearly 6 and I am now letting her stir food on the hob. I'm there giving her guidance but she knows that she could burn herself so she is very careful.

It never ceases to amaze me how children love to cook. Due to ready-made meals, cheap frozen food and lack of time and energy, parents are not cooking as much as they used to. We (parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, carers, minders) need to reskill the next generation in the kitchen, equipping them with the invaluable life skill of cooking and preparing their own meals.

Below is a list of Kinder Kitchen's Kid's chores your children could help you with (age 3 upwards).

Enjoy cooking together!
 
  • Mashing potatoes
  • Picking herb leaves off the stems   
  • Washing and spinning salad lettuce
  • Cleaning fruits & vegetables 
  • Snapping the ends off green beans
  • Pouring premeasured ingredients
  • Breaking eggs and separating them
  • Grinding salt & pepper
  • Using an electric whisk
  • Helping to blend with a hand blender
  • Tasting the food as you go along
  • Grating cheese and other foods
  • Peeling vegetables and fruit
  • Peeling hard-cooked eggs
  • Measuring ingredients using scales
  • Opening cans and jars
  • Skewering meat and fruit kebabs
  • Stirring soups & sauces
  • Tossing salads & making the dressing
  • Reading the recipes to you
  • Laying the dinning table
  • And lastly - helping you wash up at the end and clearing out the dishwasher!
Do you know any other ways children could help?

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