Teaching Your Kids the Art of Cooking

They say the parents are the first teachers of their children. Education truly starts at home. Before your kids start their formal education at a school, you should start teaching him all the essential things he needs to know, from being familiar with all letters and numbers to music appreciation.

There's another important thing your child has to learn that is often not taught in the household: cooking. More important than reading or math skills, knowing how to properly feed themselves is one of the most useful things you can teach them. Below are some suggestions on how to go about teaching them how to cook and start them early in the kitchen:

Find time for it - When teaching your children something, you need to have a firm resolve that you'll really find time for it. Instead of spending time online chatting with their friends or posting photos on their social network accounts, they can instead join you in the kitchen for some cooking lessons. What they'll learn there will certainly be of greater value than all the useless and even destructive stuff they see on the web.

Make them love it - One of the most effective ways to teach little kids is to make them love what they're learning. Especially because they have a short attention span, if they're not interested in it, they may not even pay attention to what you're teaching them. You have to be creative when teaching them how to cook so you hold their attention all the time.

Make them do it - Of course, learning is better facilitated when there's actual and immediate application of what they've learned. It's an old learning principle called 'learning by doing.' Once you've demonstrated something, ask your kids to do it themselves. This is another way of getting them into it so you'll always get them to focus on the teaching session. Safety comes first, of course, so don't let them do anything that's potentially dangerous without assisting them.

Eat what they cook - Like adults, children can also get satisfaction when what they've cooked is actually eaten and is not just for show. This helps them put value into what they do. Give them positive feedback so they don't feel discouraged. If there are things they need to improve on, say it in a manner that won't hurt their feelings as this can dishearten them. If they feel bad, they may not be too eager to attend your next session.

Use simple recipes - Certainly, you don't want to immediately teach them how to cook meals that involve a lot of preparation and require advanced cooking skills. Start with basic things like boiling water, frying eggs, and cooking rice. Once they know how to perform basic techniques, you can teach them something a bit more challenging.

Teach them how to use kitchen tools and equipment - Again, safety comes first. Be sure to demonstrate how to properly handle kitchen tools, especially those that are potentially dangerous. You should also familiarize them with the uses of each tool.

Knowing how to cook is one of the most practical lessons you can impart to them. It's never too early to teach them something that's essential for survival (you can watch online cooking videos for recipes you can also share with your kids).