Cooking With Kids in the Kitchen – A Guide for Dads

There are plenty of ways in which dads can bond with their children, and cooking is one of the best. Cooking with the kids can be a fun and enjoyable experience since children can learn how awesome it is to prepare a delicious meal and eat it too. So if you are a dad who is looking to bond with his kids overcooking, here is a quick guide that will help.

Make Sure the Cooking Area is Safe

When it comes to cooking with your kids, safety should be your number one concern. Let your kids know that the kitchen will be filled with hot things that can lead to serious injury should an accident happen. This means handling of all hot things, such as liquids that spill and splatter and turning on the stove, should be handled by you and only you. The same thing goes for sharp and heavy objects – don’t let children, especially very young ones, handle such things.

Dress for the Part

To make it more fun and let your kids know that you're super into cooking with them, dress for the role. Get some aprons for the kids and yourself. Considering that cooking with kids is bound to get messy, you will definitely need them. You can even get yourself a chef coat or some slim fit chef pants. When your kids see that you have put on some cooking apparel to spend time cooking with them, they will also be into too.

Let Them Watch First

Before the kids get hands-on with the cooking, start by showing them how it is done. Show them the process a couple of times, making sure to explain each step in great detail. As you continue, you will see that kids are great learners since they can retain a lot of information at once.

Get Them Involved

Teach them how to read and follow a recipe. This will also teach them how to follow instructions, something which is important even beyond the kitchen. Plus, with all the counting, adding, measuring and weighing of things involved, you can use this as an opportunity to sneak in some math. Once they have learned to be responsible in the kitchen, you can start assigning them specific tasks, such as beating the eggs, marinating the chicken or tasting the cookie dough (the task you give them will depend on their age, of course). Visit 1800scales.com for all your weighing scale needs!

Listen to Their Input

Kids are curious creatures, which means you can expect them to have some questions and ideas of their own. Be patient and answer their questions gently and fully, making sure that they understand your response. And if they have an idea, let them know whether it will work or not. If it is a great idea, do it with them right then and there. Being open to their questions and ideas will teach them that thinking outside the box is not such a bad idea.

Clean Up

After you have cooked, it is time to teach them a valuable life lesson: if you make a mess, you have to clean it. No one will have fun here, but it is better for your kids to learn that they are going to have to do some not-so-fun things in almost every job they do.

As you cook with the kids, remember to go slow – you can’t expect them to cook on your level – and, of course, have some fun. Overall, this is a perfect way to become closer with your kids and create moments that neither of you will ever forget.