Skills to Learn (Ages 3 to 5)
Though it may seem that preschoolers are limited in the kitchen because of their size and developing motor control, there's actually quite a lot they can do. Tailor kitchen tasks to your child's particular abilities, and keep in mind that he'll need supervision and physical guidance. Age-appropriate cooking activities for this pre-school group include:
- Stacking and assembling
- Stirring and mixing
- Cutting (with a plastic or butter knife)
Read on for specific tips and strategies that can help you encourage your preschooler to share your love of cooking.
- Safety First
It's also smart to set some nonnegotiable safety ground rules. For instance, cutting with sharp knives or going to a hot oven or near open flames is for adults only. Establishing this from the beginning, says Katzen, helps kids know when to ask for assistance but preserves their sense of autonomy. Give rule reminders often. To paraphrase Aristotle: Frequent repetition produces a natural tendency.
- Recipes Go 1-2-3
Recipes are lessons in logic: Tasks must be performed in a certain order, and particular ingredients must necessarily go together. This can be tricky for short-attention–spanned toddlers—they just want to pour and mix!—but the concept of sequence will sink in eventually (we promise) if you make a point of explaining at each step what's happening and why.
To make sequence easier to learn, think like a professional and mise en place. Before calling your preschooler into the kitchen with you, gather and prep all ingredients (except those you want your child to help with). Do any chopping or big measuring beforehand, and then set items out in the order the recipe calls for, suggests Katzen. This will eliminate those "No, not yet!" admonishments that just frustrate you both.
- Patience Is a (Cooks') Virtue
Waiting for muffins to bake, ice pops to freeze, and even pancakes to cook is all part of working in the kitchen, but that delayed gratification can prove torturous for your child. Even when you explain why things take as long as they do, it can be hard for young 'uns to understand.
Minimize the torture for you both by choosing recipes accordingly: If your child is particularly eager, don't pick a banana bread recipe that requires 50 minutes of baking time. Go for a 12-minute pizza instead.
- Bring It to Their Level
Instead of having kids stand on a chair at the counter, set up your cooking project at a low table. Making the cooking space special (and personal), says Katzen, teaches them to respect it. It also makes it physically easier for them to perform cooking tasks comfortably.
- Give Kids Their Own Tools
Give your little fella tools he can truly work with: Make sure mixing spoons are short, bowls on the small side, and oven mitts miniature. It's also smart to provide child-safe alternatives, like a plastic or non-serrated butter knife with a rounded tip. Katzen suggests putting a piece of colored tape around the handle so kids will always know which end to grab.
- Be Zen About the Mess
Your little ones are bound to spill while doing their tasks, so have paper towels and sponges at the ready, and if youre particularly worried, spread newspaper over the counter, table, or floor to make cleanup easy.
- Let Them Lead
Remember: Thoughtful setup is the key to success. If ingredients are placed so the sequence of steps is clear, your child can drive the process. There's no way to overstate the sense of empowerment this brings. A child gets the most out of a cooking session if he is the chef and you're the sous chef.
- But Let Them Help, Too
Of course, there are days when you just need to get your little lady out of your hair while you're trying to get dinner on the table. It's fine to demote her to sous chef and have her tear kale or break broccoli into florets while you're at the stove.
- Take Your Time
With this age group, says Katzen, it's particularly important to approach cooking as a project, and not a means to an end. "It's about the process," she says. So don't choose a busy weeknight when you're all hungry to embark on a culinary lesson. Wait until the weekend when there's more time, and start after a good meal.Remember, too, says Patinella, that teaching children to cook is a long-term project, especially at this age. Some days, your kid may not want to eat what he made. That's okay. Or, what should have been a lovely bonding experience over muffins ends in tears. So be it. Time spent cooking with kids always pays off, even if it's in 20 years. It's the cumulative effect that counts, Patinella says. Kinda sounds like parenting, doesn't it?