| By :
Mark Etinger
If you’re looking for a great way to spend quality time with your child, there’s no better way to do that than by getting your kids in the kitchen. Generally, kids are fascinated with what goes on in the kitchen: the equipment, the sounds, the stirring, flipping, and sautéing are all entrancing to a child. You should take advantage of your child’s interest and get them started a young age. By cooking with kids, you are not only creating fun memories but you are instilling in them vital skills that will benefit them for the rest of their life. Here are a few ways you get even the most reluctant child excited about food and food preparation. 1) Take your child to the farmer’s market. Taking your kids to the local farmer’s market is a great way to show them where fresh, local food comes from and allows them to put a face on the source of their food by meeting the farmers who provide it. Farm to table awareness is something that a lot of adults can’t wrap their heads around, so by bringing it you child’s attention, you’re instilling good values that they can carry with them their whole life. 2) Research easy kids recipes and have them experiment with a few. By giving them the responsibility to choose their own meal and really experiment with the cooking process, your kids can get a feel for the kitchen and food preparation in a hands on way—the best way to learn to cook. Instilling a love a cooking in your child is the perfect way to get them to eat healthier later on in life. If you feel your child would benefit from a more visual instruction process, there are plenty of online resources that feature lively instruction videos specifically for kids. 3) Start a garden with your child. If you’ve got the gift of a green thumb, and a lot of spare time, why not spend it with your child by starting a garden. This is a great way to get your kids in the kitchen, because they’ll be extremely eager to take the fruit of their labor and cook them in the kitchen all on their own. It’s truly rewarding to sit down to eat food that you have grown in your own backyard. 4) When you’re preparing meals, recruit your child to help. Even it’s doing something small like stirring a pot, or rinsing off vegetables, involving them in the process is a great way to get your kids in the kitchen. Assigning them a specific job and stressing that is a very important job, gives your child a sense of purpose in the kitchen and they’ll most likely be very eager to contribute. 5) For toddlers, consider buying them a play kitchen. If your little one has a fascination with the kitchen getting them their own play set to practice their skills and pretend is a fantastic way to get your kids in the kitchen.
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