My
grandchildren love to help in the kitchen. I try to include them
when I bake, as they seem to get a kick out of watching the magic of
the oven take place.
One
of the first things I let my grandson help me with was making
biscuits for Thanksgiving. It wasn't anything exciting, but he was
very proud to say that he made the biscuits. He was around 3 ½ years
old, too young for cutting and such, but just the perfect age for
prepping and finishing up. I'm not sure if he was more excited about
placing the biscuits on the cookie sheet, or taking them off and
plating them. Either way, it was a fun time and a memory that has
already instilled a love of cooking in him.
My
suggestions for cooking with the grandchildren
- Keep it Simple – The easier the better when they're young. They won't know that they haven't cooked a five course meal, but they'll take pride in the smallest of accomplishments.
- Have fun – It doesn't matter if there's flour on the counter, or chocolate on their faces. Keep it fun and light-hearted.
- Instill healthy habits – Make sure they wash their hands and stress that they keep their hands off their faces, away from their nose, etc. Little ones usually have no boundaries on what they touch and where their hands go, but stress the importance of good hygiene when cooking.
- Make them responsible for cleaning up – We know that part of cooking is the cleaning of the dishes. Have them help with the clean up process and explain why it's important as well.
I
don't know about you, but it's just as much fun (if not more) for me
than it is for them when they help me cook.
