Cooking/Baking with Kids?

Hmmmm, does that sound fun?

Well, you are wrong! It really can be so much fun if you prepare yourself, physically and mentally, and know that the outcome may not be exactly what you might have expected. First of all, you need to let go of the control in knowing that you can do this project without a huge mess and that you will not be the boss in the kitchen. If you can do this, then let’s go…

First I would say, in order to have this go the way you want and not let it get out of control fast, there is some prep time that you should do without your child around. What kind of prep work needs to be done? I like to portion out all the ingredients into a kid friendly container. That way, when they “help you”, you already have things almost ready to go. This also makes it easier for a child to portion something out, and you don’t lose half your flour on the flour, if they spill it while trying to put the whole thing in the bowl.

Now when your child enters the scene, I will usually start out with asking the child to get the bowl and all the measuring cups and spoons. This gives me time to look over the recipe and prep our area. You see, sometimes with younger kids, you have to give the illusion that they are doing way more than they are or that the stuff they are doing is as helpful as can be. I work on getting out all the already portioned out ingredients. You may need to do less in this area if you have slightly older kids helping you. You don’t want to insult them with already having things under control and giving them no independence in this area.

Sometimes, when we get to the part where we actually start adding ingredients into the bowl, I like to sit back a little and let your child take control. It makes your child feel special and empowered that this is now “his or her” project. Depending on the age of the child, I like to ask him or her to “read” the instructions, and tell me what what to do as the “helper.”

Now obviously, with older children, you could probably let them do most of the cooking or baking. Younger kids, will definitely need more hand holding. And remember, that the younger ones will probably lose interest quicker too, so be prepared to finish what they start.

Get ready to embark on a fun, maybe bumpy journey, where you will enjoy some quality time together and hopefully super yummy meals.

Here are some fun kid-friendly recipes!