Cooking with Children

As a parent, it’s not always easy to get your child to try new foods, let alone enjoy them. But did you know that cooking with your child can help expand their palate and make them less likely to be a fussy eater? Not to mention, it’s a great way to spend quality time together and teach valuable life skills.

In this blog, we’ll be discussing the benefits of cooking with children, as well as some examples of foods and recipes that you can make together depending on the age of your child.

Sensory Exposure to Foods

Cooking with children allows them to explore new tastes, smells, textures, and colours in a fun and interactive way. It’s a great opportunity to introduce them to new ingredients and to get them excited about trying new foods.

Developing Life Skills

Cooking is a valuable life skill that teaches children important lessons such as following instructions, measuring, and patience. It also teaches them about food safety and hygiene, as well as the importance of teamwork, listening and communication.

Building Confidence

Cooking with your child can help build their confidence in the kitchen and in trying new things. When children feel involved and engaged in the cooking process, they’re more likely to enjoy the meal and feel a sense of pride in their accomplishments.

Nutritional benefits 

Cooking with children is not only a fun activity, but it can also help introduce nutritious foods to their diets at an early age. When children are involved in the preparation of meals, they are more likely to try new foods and become more comfortable with different textures and tastes. By including a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains into the recipes, parents can expose their children to a range of healthy options. This can help establish good eating habits early on, reducing the likelihood of fussy eaters and promoting a lifetime of healthy food choices.

Foods to Make Together

• Smoothies

Smoothies are a great way to get your child involved in the kitchen, especially if they’re too young to use a knife or support with putting foods on the hob or in the oven. Have them help you measure out the ingredients, such as fruit and yoghurt, and let them press the blender button. You can even let them pick out the fruits they want to use.

• Pizza muffins

Making homemade pizza muffins is a fun and interactive activity for children of all ages. Older children can help crack the eggs and chop vegetables, while younger children can help by putting all the ingredients in the bowl and mixing. You can even let them make their own personal mini pizzas.

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• Fruit Salad

A fruit salad is a healthy and refreshing snack that your child will love making with you. Let them help wash and chop the fruit, and encourage them to try new fruits they may not have had before. You can even make it into a game and have them guess the fruit based on its smell or texture or make faces out of the food

• Chicken fajitas

Fajitas are a fun and easy meal that can be customised with your child’s favourite veggies. Let them put on their toppings and roll up the fajitas.

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• Turkey Pinwheel Sandwiches

Again this is an easy recipe to make together as a family and involves no cooking, just a little practice to roll up the pinwheels.

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Summary

Cooking with your child is not only a fun and interactive activity, but it also has many benefits, including sensory exposure to foods, developing a healthy relationship with foods, developing life skills, and building confidence.

By introducing your little ones to new foods and letting them help in the kitchen, you can help expand their taste buds and can make them less likely to be a fussy eater.

Try out some of the foods above and recipes with your child, and watch them grow to love cooking and eating healthy foods.