Spending quality time with your children is important. So is teaching them how to be independent individuals who know the value of staying healthy and looking after themselves. This is why learning to cook is such an important skill to have. Asher is just now starting to really show interest in the kitchen! Not only do you get to spend time with your children and create memories in the kitchen, but you are also giving them a valuable skill that will help them in life.
Not enough people know how to cook a proper meal from scratch. We live in a society where microwave meals and convenience foods have replaced the traditional recipes and foods passed down from our grandparents. Whereas our grandparents would cook everything from scratch, without the use of a microwave I might add, today’s generation of young people are unable to cook the most basic meals.
Food culture
This is a shame for many reasons. Losing the food traditions from our elders means that we lose a valuable part of our heritage and culture. Food is much more than its caloric value. It is also a way to show people we care about them. Enough to spend time and effort creating something for their enjoyment. Spending time cooking for friends and family is a way of sharing a part of you with them. Meditterranean people know the value of food, and it’s a way of forming connections and a social opportunity. Think of Spanish people, for example, they eat and drink as a way of socialising and have even created tapas and pinchos as a way to encourage conversation and the sharing of small dishes with each other.
Start them young
It really is crucial to pique children’s interest in food at a young age. Involving your young children in the kitchen is understandably more stressful than just doing it yourself. Nonetheless, letting them spend time around you as you cook – involving them in simple and safe tasks, will allow them to get familiar with the ingredients and the process of preparing them.
Get inspiration online
Try out recipes online that you think your children will enjoy making and eating. This baked chicken recipe for beginners is an easy and healthy way to prepare chicken, and if you are after dessert inspiration that is suitable for children, then have a look at some healthy dessert ideas that are still tasty and suitable for children to help out with.
Learn while cooking
If your children are a little older, and not particularly interested in food, then involving them in the cooking process will make them more likely to eat the food that they have prepared. There’s a lot to say for the pride that they will feel when they have made a dish, and this will make them want to eat it and show it off to others. Baking is a fun way to learn about maths as well. Weighing and measuring flour, butter, and sugar, will make them learn about measurement for liquids and solids in a fun (and tasty) way.
Photo: Pixabay
This is a collaborative post.
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