Five easy ideas to make cooking with children a fun experience

Children tend to eat more of the healthy food on their plates when they help prepare it. And the holidays are a great time for parents, caregivers and children to cook together. Families can use this time away from work and school to reconnect with each other by cooking together and teaching families great skills.

Five ideas for easy kitchen activities that will make cooking together a fun experience:

1. START SMALL AND ENCOURAGE PLAY!

Make kitchen time fun by encouraging play.  Getting comfortable in the kitchen goes beyond watching but also involves handling food and cooking utensils. We want our children to feel like the kitchen is their space. Allowing them to handle ingredients, wash produce, or even simply play with toys within the cooking area creates a connection. Set up a “sensory activity” like allowing the children to use measuring cups and spoons to practice scooping and levelling. You can take this a step further and let them measure the basic ingredients such as sugar and flour and use them to make a simple biscuit recipe.

2. MAKE UP SONGS FOR SIMPLE TASKS AND MAKE IT FUN

Humming a song, putting on your child’s favourite soundtrack, or creating your very own cooking jingle can lighten the mood for both of you. This is effective fun when teaching young ones skills that require patience like stirring slowly or taking turns to assist with food preparation. Children will learn to love cooking if you relax and have fun with them in the kitchen. Give the children an opportunity to experiment with your guidance and only step in when it's necessary, otherwise let them enjoy and create and enjoy the fruits of their endeavours.

3. EMBRACE THE MESS

Cooking is messy, there is no way to completely avoid it and children learn so much from exploring — so as the parent/caregiver overlook the mess as it is teaching them to be creative while having fun. Wiping down the counter or washing dishes can be a dual exercise — another life skill — and turning it into a game will bring greater success and willing participants.

4. CREATE FOOD ART AND ENCOURAGE THEIR IMAGINATION

Make healthy eating fun for children  by getting creative at mealtimes. Presenting food in the form of a picture or simple pattern, or decorating the rim of the plate, can make it more exciting and enticing for children. Animals and faces are always popular, and broccoli and cauliflower make excellent trees. Why not let the children cut their own carrots and cucumbers with a cookie cutter turning them into interesting shapes like flowers, hearts, stars and diamonds.

Encourage your children to be imaginative in the kitchen. Give them free rein when decorating their cookies or challenge them to create a fruit-salad rainbow or vegetable animals. Turn it into a contest to see who can come up with the best design. But remember, everyone is a winner as they all get to enjoy a delicious prize.

5. ROLL, ROLL, ROLL THE DOUGH

Get the young ones involved in learning about dough. Helping to roll out or kneading bread dough is fun and will give their muscles a good workout — and they will be amazed and encouraged when they see the fruits of their labour.

• Anne-Marie De Beer is the Nutrition, Health and Wellness Manager, Nestlé east and Southern Africa

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