To awaken children's interest in cooking and food in general, there is nothing better than having them participate in a fun activity revolving around the theme of cooking. By playing a role in the preparation of the meal, they will have both acquired new skills and new knowledge!
How to ensure the cooking activity with your child?
The most greedy manual activity and the most appreciated by the children is of course the cooking. To do this, we start by freeing a whole morning for this activity and we involve the children in the choice of the recipe. The choice can be made starting froma classic cookbookBut parents can also ask them what they want to cook, cupcakes, pancakes, etc. In short, they should be given a choice. It is also a good idea to take the children shopping so that they know what ingredients are needed to make the dish they are going to cook. Making a short list together should help to make sure that nothing is forgotten.
Before starting the activity, it is important to clean the work table and all the surfaces that will be used for the session. You will also have to put all the ingredients, the kitchen utensils and other accessories that could be used for the operationNote that it is important to manage access to hot plates, knives and ovens, especially if children are under the age of 10.
How do you get down to meal preparation?
Depending on the recipe chosen, all the materials and ingredients to be used should first be displayed in full view and then the children should wash their hands with them, this should help them to learn how to keep clean. Before getting down to business, the recipe should be read aloud so that everyone can understand the steps to be taken. This is also a good opportunity to explain complex terms and words that they may not understand. Depending on their abilities, tasks can be prioritised. Children can wash and peel certain fruits and vegetables such as bananas, grapefruit, etc. They can also squeeze fruits such as oranges and lemons to extract the juice and shred lettuce. They can also measure ingredients such as flour, sugar, etc. Parents can also ask the children to break eggs, spread the dough or even make a small piece of pastry.
By participating in this kind ofmanual workThis type of activity should encourage the child to discover new flavours, to develop a taste for good, healthy food and, above all, to enjoy family time together.