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Older Kids in Kitchen

Whether or not you have been including your child in mealtime preparation for years or not at all, children between the ages of 5 and 10 can benefit greatly from helping you in the kitchen.

Children of this age range have usually started to limit their food choices to a few favorites, but by allowing them to help with meals you can often broaden their choices and their sense of adventure. Plus, studies have shown that children that are involved in meal planning usually grow up to make much more nutritious food choices.

There are many different ways to involve your older child in meal preparation.

• Let them help you plan meals. If your child is given some input in planning the meals they will be more excited about their food choices and it will be easier to steer them toward healthier foods.

• Enlist your child's help at the grocery store. Along with allowing them to make different food choices, you can also use this weekly trip to help them with their math skills, their comparison skills and their nutrition awareness skills. Give your child a small list and have them add the items to their grocery cart. As they choose their items instruct them to compare process, calculate sale prices and read nutrition labels to make the best choices.

• Buy your child a kid friendly cookbook. Many of these recipes are made so that your child can complete the entire dish on their own. For the harder recipes, or those that involve the oven or stovetop, you may have to help. By allowing a child to prepare their own snack you will be giving them the opportunity to build self-confidence and self-reliance.

• When enlisting the help of your child with an entire meal, allow them to take on more complex tasks. By the age of 7 many children will be able to use a simple, kid friendly knife to cut soft foods such as cheese. They can also use the hand mixer for batters and other more grown-up cooking utensils.
Once your child has acquired a good foundation of cooking skills, it is important to stand back and let them cook on their own. This will allow them to develop creative cooking instincts and also to gain confidence in their cooking skills. This would be a good time to let your child be in charge of the planning and preparing of their after school snacks.

Or, let your child be in charge of certain aspects of the meal. They can make side dishes or prepare salads, for example. The key point here is to allow them to choose a dish and execute its preparation on their own. By giving them this type of freedom, you will not only increase their skills but you will also allow them to develop interest in different types of food.

By taking the time to cook with your toddler, you will lay the foundation for years of cooking enjoyment and teach them skills that will help them with most of their adult life.




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