Including Your Child in Cooking

It has been said time and time again that children benefit from spending time in the kitchen. Where else can a day’s worth of school subjects such as math, science, social studies, art, reading and comprehension be combined into one exciting lesson plan? The kitchen provides a place for children to learn using all of his/her senses and to learn firsthand the importance of following directions. Best of all, the kitchen is a wonderful place to make lasting memories with Mom or Dad. Here are some basic tips to get you and your little one started:

What You Can Do:
1. Start by picking out a quick and simple recipe
2. Allow some extra time
3. Have a chair or stepstool in place so your child can work at a comfortable level
4. Expect a mess; Throw down an old table cloth and have extra towels on hand before you begin
5. Provide non breakable cookware
6. Provide you child with a kid sized apron
7. Have plenty of patience
8. Pour on the praise

What Your Child Can Do
1. Gather ingredients from around the kitchen
2. Crack the eggs (prepare for this challenge by providing a separate bowl)
3. Measure and level ingredients
4. Pour, mix, stir and sift
5. Set the timer
6. Help with clean up

Tips provided by Tiny Chefs Inc. For more visit them at TinyChefs.com