Helping Prepare Meals

Asking your children to pitch in and help prepare meals now can help you out immensely during the upcoming busy school year. If you can get your son or daughter to peel some vegetables or get materials together for the meal before you get home from work, you can shave valuable minutes off preparation time. The end result is great—everyone gets to the dinner table sooner to enjoy these tasty meals together. Plus, you and your children get to spend quality time together in the kitchen.

Preparing and packing lunches are also a breeze when you have a child who knows his or her way around the kitchen. Just think of the time you will save! Here are some ideas for encouraging your kids to help out in the kitchen and suggestions to make it safe and enjoyable:

  • Until your children are completely comfortable in the kitchen, make sure to always supervise them. When the time comes that your children can be left alone in the kitchen, institute some ground rules, such as never leave a boiling pot and never put knives in the sink with other dishes (to avoid potential injury).
  • You know your children best and what they can handle when it comes to kitchen supplies, but to be on the safe side, you may want to use plastic or stainless-steel measuring cups instead of glass to avoid danger. If your children are too young to safely chop vegetables, have them wash the veggies and prepare them for chopping.
  • Make sure children of all ages know that the stove area is off limits to younger children. They should also learn that steam can cause burns and that stove top burners stay hot for awhile after they are turned off. This can help you avoid accidents around the oven area.
  • Make sure you are introducing new recipes with ingredients your children enjoy, and they will be much more willing to help out in the kitchen.
  • Stock your refrigerator and cupboard with items your children like; that way, they will be more willing, even excited, to make their own lunches.
  • Once you set the ground rules in your kitchen and are ready to cook, why not try some of these recipes?