This guest contribution comes from Jessica Braider, CEO of The Six O’Clock Scramble.
Several months back, our household initiated a weekly ritual: preparing Sunday supper as a team. We don't follow this routine every weekend, but it happens frequently, and the push to get started usually originates from one of our two sons.
I'd love to claim that their enthusiasm stems from a deep love of culinary arts (they enjoy it, but Legos, outdoor play, and drawing rank higher) or my Mary Poppins-like talent for making everything fun. Honestly, though, I believe it results from their natural curiosity about food combined with my persistent effort and willingness to release control.
To be frank, I can be somewhat obsessive in the kitchen. My instinct is to maintain order and speed, which has led to many setbacks—moments when I snapped over a spill, times I took over for efficiency, occasions when I felt disappointed as they lost interest and wandered away.
However, through these challenges, I've discovered several strategies that transformed the kitchen into a space they enjoy:
- Offer them options for kitchen duties. If your children are hesitant to participate, presenting choices can effectively spark their interest since it gives them a sense of ownership. Would you rather crack the eggs or stir the batter? Would you prefer to work on the salad or the sauce? This also involves letting them pick ingredients when feasible. Which veggies should go into your salad? What toppings should adorn the pizza? What should we throw on the grill tonight?
- Avoid hovering. Hovering communicates that we lack trust in our children's abilities. They pick up on our tension when we observe tasks done out of sequence or not to our standards. Instead, set them up with a job and then focus on another activity. For beginners, this could mean pre-measuring ingredients and allowing them to pour and stir while you load the dishwasher. As they gain confidence, you might set out the ingredients and guide them through measuring while you handle another recipe. When they're proficient, you could let them choose a dish and prepare it largely on their own, simply being available for any queries.
- Permit them to bow out. If they become distracted or something else calls them away, allow them to leave (after tidying their workspace). Avoid making them feel guilty or showing annoyance at their wandering attention. Forcing them to remain turns cooking into a chore. The more they relish their kitchen time with you, the more they'll choose to stay.
- Assign enjoyable and useful tasks. Nearly every recipe includes a step that is both enjoyable for them and beneficial for you. Which child doesn't enjoy mashing potatoes? Spreading garlic butter on pre-sliced French bread was a personal childhood favorite! Whenever possible, choose a task they can proudly claim as their own. Creating a salad from scratch, mixing pancake batter, adding toppings to a Mexican pizza, or scrambling eggs are jobs that instill pride and make cooking more attractive.
- Exercise patience. Admittedly, there will be moments when flour scatters, progress drags, and you're tempted to seize the spoon and complete the dish yourself. I've experienced that! It's perfectly fine. Simply breathe deeply and recall that the boost to their self-esteem and the tasty meal make it all worthwhile.
- Foster opportunities for mastery. Children are more capable than we assume. With proper safety guidelines, they can accomplish far more than we realize. I was quite nervous the first time I allowed my son to use a paring knife. However, I reviewed the safety rules for handling sharp knives—techniques we had practiced with butter knives. I guided his hand for the initial cuts and then stood beside him as he attempted it solo. Would I leave him alone with a sharp blade? Absolutely not. Yet giving him a chance to try in a safe setting built his confidence and pride. Refer to the chart below for age-appropriate cooking tasks.
So what's holding you back? How can you involve your children in cooking this week?
Six Approaches to Get Your Children Cooking
About the Author
Jessica Braider is a certified health coach and mom to two energetic, playful sons. As CEO of The Six O’Clock Scramble—an online meal planning platform dedicated to helping busy families serve quick, easy, and tasty dinners nightly—she pursues her passion for food and her love of collaborating with parents and children to foster healthy, happy households. Jessica completed her health coach training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and also holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan. In her free time, you'll find Jessica experimenting in the kitchen or outdoors spending time with her husband and kids.
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