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Helping kids Grow—in the Kitchen

Cooking is about confidence and creativity. The kitchen is a wonderful place for children to gain that confidence, explore, and develop new skills. It’s a wonderful place to build relationships and memories with a parent or grandparent. And a child is not just learning to cook; he or she is developing lifelong skills and habits that will help him or her well outside the kitchen.

Explain how things work

Baking is a mixture or science and artistry. Teach your child both. Why do you weigh the dough for the rolls? (So that the rolls will be of uniform size.) What makes those same rolls rise. (Don’t just tell him about the yeast, explain how yeast works in terms appropriate for his age.) If you are a little fuzzy about the science of baking, enroll to receive our free baking lessons. You will get a lesson emailed to you each week that fully covers the basics of baking and how things work.

Don’t judge

Results are rarely perfect. So what? Even if the cookies aren’t round and uniform, your child will likely think they are perfect. Don’t tell her otherwise. You can make suggestions but praise profusely and give credit generously.

Share your enthusiasm

Kids have built in radar. They know where your head is at, if you love what you are doing. If you love what you are doing, chances are that they will too. If they love the experience, they may develop a lifelong love of cooking and baking.

Teach clean-up

Most things in life require clean-up. Teach them to clean-up in the kitchen and they’ll be better about completing the task in life’s other pursuits.

Encourage exploration

Kids learn by experimentation. Let your child experiment with different colors or shapes. Maybe the result won’t be showcase-like but he or she will think they are terrific. Try new recipes and projects. If your child sees that you are willing to try something new, he or she will be more inclined to. You will engender creativity and confidence. Even when the cake doesn’t turn out just right, there is an opportunity for a lesson.

Play the “what if” game

“What if we don’t put eggs in the dough?” Help Johnny understand that most cookies aren’t very good without eggs. Let him come to the conclusion that maybe we really ought to add eggs even though he doesn’t like eggs.

Let the kids do it

As your child gets older, you will become the kitchen coach not the cook. But even when young, find tasks that your child can do by himself or herself. (You can always dig out an eggshell later.) Remember, you’re building a child, not baking cookies. The more he or she does with only your supervision, the more confident he or she will become.

For more tips and techniques, get our free “cooking with Kids” handbook.