Cooking With Your Kids

January 27th, 2009 by Slouching Mom · 6 Comments

Do you cook with your kids? I hope you do. Cooking provides so many teaching moments. There are plentiful opportunities for a child to practice math, of course. Working with fractions and becoming familiar with measurement systems are among the math skills that are honed when a child helps cook. But there are other lessons as well. For example, it shouldn’t take too many inedible concoctions before your little chef learns the importance of following directions. And, later, the flexibility to modify directions, if, as often happens at our house, there are fewer eggs or less milk in the refrigerator than we had expected to find. Creativity also comes into play, as the child brainstorms potential substitutions. Cooperation, if more than one child is stirring the pot. And patience, because many of the foods a kid might assist in preparing require significant time in the oven or on the stovetop.

Cooking also develops important fine-motor skills. For example, the child must learn to stir eggs as they’re being scrambled without sending them sailing out of the frying pan, or flip pancakes so that they land more or less where they started. And for the picky eater (I’ve got one of those), cooking is wonderful therapy. My picky eater is much more likely to eat a novel food if he’s had a hand (or two) in preparing it.

All of these benefits aside, cooking is fun. And maybe that’s all you and your child need to know.

Here are a couple of simple treat recipés that are hits at our house.
Note that T = tablespoon and t = teaspoon.

Lemon Bars

2 cups flour
4 T flour
½ cup powdered sugar
2 cups powdered sugar
2 sticks butter
4 eggs
6 T lemon juice
½ t baking powder

Mix 2 cups flour, ½ cup powdered sugar, and 2 sticks butter. Press into a 9” by 13” pan (go up the sides a little). Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

Mix 4 beaten eggs, 2 cups powdered sugar, and 6 T lemon juice. Fold in 4 T flour and ½ t baking powder. Pour over baked crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Easy-Peasy Fudge

6 T butter
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
4 T milk
1 T vanilla
3 ¼ cups powdered sugar
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup cocoa
½ cup nuts, chopped

Butter an 8” square pan. Put all ingredients except nuts into a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat for 7-8 minutes, stirring constantly. Fudge should be smooth and fluffy. Stir in nuts and pour into the buttered pan. Refrigerate.

Cut into squares and enjoy!

by Slouching Mom

Photo graciously provided by massdistraction, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved

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6 responses so far ↓

Serena // Jan 27, 2009 at 6:29 am

We cook with our son all the time! He used to tell us that he wanted to be a chef (on a rocket ship, no less). We started a lot younger than you might think (~ age 2), sometimes even with “makework” type jobs, like transferring all the cut up veggies to a bowl (bonus: he sometimes eats a few pieces of celery or carrots or broccoli along the way), where if it was just me cooking I might put them straight into the pot.

The big shift in thinking was to consider cooking a type of play and entertainment (which it is to me anyway, I love cooking), and not be in a rush. Cooking with kids is NOT efficient! Of course, sometimes, especially weeknights, we are in a rush, but even then there is usually something cooking related that can be “helped” by some small(er) hands.
Anita B // Jan 27, 2009 at 4:18 pm

Although we can’t use the above recipes due to food allergies, we do cook together almost every night. My 2yo son even helps me wash dishes after we’re finished. It’s actually his job as of right now to clear the table (with some assistance, of course). He’s not picky, but I did notice that he ate something the other night (can’t remember what) that he wouldn’t have normally eaten if he hadn’t made it. I love it!
Thimbelle // Jan 27, 2009 at 8:07 pm

Twinks has always been in the kitchen with me, and her Dad; as a result, she has grown up with a strong interest in cooking.

It is not at all unusual for Twinks to make all or part of a meal nowadays. Not only is she a wonderful helper, but an excellent cook as well!
Rocket Science Mom // Jan 27, 2009 at 8:32 pm

I have been blessed with one picky and one adventurous eater. We try to engage them in cooking, but during the week, when the evening is rush rush rush, we don’t have the time.

On the weekends, though, we have tried to assign everyone jobs. The cooking part only interests them if it’s something really cool. The husband had them making pasta from scratch (flour, egg, water, kneed, etc). and they could not get enough of it. And, they ate every last bit of what they had just made.

I am going to try the lemon bars above to see how they go over.
Angie Berg // Jan 28, 2009 at 2:13 am

I just love your blog and particularly the sentiments you expressed in this post. Not only that, I love the yummy recipes.

May I take a minute and invite you and your friends to enter the Valentine Ideas contest at Chocolate Candy Mall? You’ll find the contest details at http://www.chocolate-candy-mall.com/valentine-ideas.html

I’d love to see what you come up with, and you’ll be in the running for a yummy prize.

Blessings,
Angie
Kelly Damron // Jan 30, 2009 at 9:46 am

My girls love to sit on the counter while I cook. I allow them to add ingredients and stir. I must say I’m impressed that Anita has her 2 yo help with the dishes – I need to try that!

I hope that by being a part of the cooking my girls will end up loving it as much as I do.