As they mature getting your children or grandchildren involved in meal prep can be one way to encourage skill development and autonomy. Time in the kitchen can be a learning experience, can satisfy their budding curiosity, and support their desire to be part of the action.
Cooking is a life skill, and starting to involve kids at an early age contributes to them developing a fun and healthy relationship with food and can be an excellent bonding experience. Connecting your children with food experiences with farm visits, cooking classes, market shopping, hunting for recipes and collecting ingredients builds mindful everyday habits around nutrition, food consumption and greater interest in family meals.
Think of your kitchen as a class room that teaches creative accommodations, teamwork, patience and planning. Other takeaways include increasing their vocabulary, improving motor skills and measuring and math skills.
Age and ability appropriate
For more apprehensive eaters, learning and having tactile/sensory experiences with food can help them gain interest in new flavours and ingredients. If they’re able it pays to involve your child in plating and serving too.
When your children are small it can be best to think practically about what tasks they can master. Toddler-aged children may enjoy collecting ingredients and tools, stirring mixtures, garnishing and enhancing food with toppings. Foods with interesting texture and colour can enhance attention spans. If there is some hesitancy to get involved, remain patient, and focus on encouragement and participation.
Pre-schoolers may be ready to discuss more details around diet quality such as which foods are healthy, and where does their food come from. Recipes that involve assembly of ingredients such as sandwiches, yogurt bowls, and salads are a good idea at this age. Pre-schoolers can also practice their math skills by measuring or counting to ensure the right amount of ingredients. To practice knife skills, plastic knifes can be used to cut up softer foods, such as cheese. As dexterity improves, kneading dough, and shaping food into balls is a way to refine their motor skills. This is a good time to instill food safety habits, including caution around sharp objects, stove burners, food hygiene and things not to pick up and eat.
School-aged children can begin to add their own input into meal planning. Cooking attitudes start to develop here. This is a good age to discuss what constitutes a healthy lunch box. Your child is more likely to eat and enjoy food they helped prepare, and feel connected to. Now, they may be more interested in different recipes, shopping and how to prepare things such as pancakes, eggs, soup, or pasta. They can try to grate and cut food, or peel potatoes, as able.
Teenagers may strive to remain independent in the kitchen, especially if a love for cooking has been instilled at a younger age. Teach your teen to plan a healthy low-cost meal, consider food allergies, discuss budgeting, and grocery shopping tips with them. Some ways to do this are by challenging them to make a meal out of any leftovers in the fridge, or helping them understand the cost behind their favourite foods. Meals that can be good for teens to practice are things they like or are able to eat. Suggestions include stir-fries, tacos, sheet-pan meals and pizzas.
Anjolina Rankin-West, Canadian Abilities Foundation intern.
