We know that these
days it's hard for busy parents even to take time out to make three square
meals a day for their kids, let alone find the time to teach them basic cooking
skills and techniques. And we know that including the kids in cooking meals
requires time, patience, and some extra cleanup, especially when they are
younger. But many experts – ours included! – think you’ll find it well worth
the effort.
Some key benefits of
spending time together in this way:
· It can encourage your kids to try healthy foods.
· Your kids know they are accomplishing something and contributing to the
family.
· You get to spend quality time with your kids.
· It’s time that your kids aren't spending in front of the TV or computer.
·
And our favorite: you can
involve your kids in meal planning, budgeting, and shopping for the food, so
they learn about costs, ingredients, sales, coupons, and so on.
Read on, and soon
you’ll be ready to take on a fun meal planning and cooking night with your kids!
When To Do
Weekend day
when you have time to enjoy the full experience
What To Do
Host a cooking show together.
1.
Decide with
your kids on a menu or a dish to prepare. Some ideas:
· Pizza and salad
· Tacos and salsa
· Mac and cheese
· Grilled cheese sandwiches
2.
Work together
to write the shopping list and locate any available coupons.
3.
Give your
kids a budget to cover the costs of the needed foods. (Tip: Be sure to check
the pantry to see whether you already have any of the needed items.)
4.
Take the kids
shopping for the food, and if they prove to be prudent and savvy shoppers and
have money left over, let them keep it!
5.
Assemble all
the ingredients for the dish in advance in small bowls.
6.
Help your
kids follow the recipe/your instructions to complete the chosen menu/dish.
7.
Enjoy the
finished product(s)!
If you can:
a.
Dress your
chef assistants in aprons and chef hats! You can make chef hats out of paper
plates, napkins and sheets of paper. Cut a circular hole in a paper plate to
fit over each of your little ones heads. Then add the cylinder piece by attaching
a sheet of paper (legal size or big drawing paper) to the paper plate. Finally top the cylinder with a napkin
to make the poufy top.
b.
Come up with
a name for your family cooking show.
c.
Encourage
your young sous chef to talk to the camera (imaginary or real) as you prepare
the meal together. If you do choose to record the “show” do replay it for
friends and family.
What You Will Need
Recipes or cookbooks
Ingredients
Paper and pencil
to make shopping list
Coupons
Bowls,
aprons, hats, cooking utensils
Napkins and
paper plates for making chef hats, optional
Camera or
video camera, optional
Talk About It
What was your
kids’ favorite thing about the cooking show? Did they find it hard to make the
food? What was the easiest part? Did they find it hard to stay on budget while
shopping for the food items? Did they succeed in making a good meal or dish?
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