As the holiday season approaches, so is the perfect time to fill the kitchen with happy family memories.
However, for a lot of parents, apart from being unsure of what they are capable of, but what may bring enjoyment, giving their children a set of responsibilities especially in the kitchen may just actually spur the thoughts of uncertainty.
According to Cheryl Molenda, chairman of the board of the American Culinary Federation Chefs of Northwest Indiana, it will even become more fun when you get to finally involve the family particularly the kids.
May it be just getting the kids to help you prep the food, set the table or to simply observe, experts claim that kids' involvement regardless of their age will not only teach them core skills like math, but would also set them up for important life skills which they can learn from doing these things.
This holiday season, in order to successfully and peacefully include your children in the kitchen, here are just some things you'll need to know.
Find your comfort level for both you and your child. As the owner of Third Coast Spice Café in Chesterton,Lisa Wodrich said that kids by nature likes to try on new things, so don't be hesitant to be adventurous when testing comfort levels.
Embrace all ages. Jean Theile, owner of Branya's Bakery in St. John, says that even the youngest children can be a help in the kitchen tasks. For instance, when making green beans, you can have the younger children unwrap the butter, which makes it a great time as well to teach them with measurements and fractions. Kids can also help to snap off the ends of the green beans.
Make a "to do" list of things in advance. Molenda suggests that as you're preparing for the big event, and in order to get the whole family involved, you can try to make a list of ingredients and jobs that need to be completed for each dish which can actually add more fun doing it.
Bring history to the kitchen. Chef Sam Brown, president of the Greater Indianapolis chapter of the American Culinary Federation, said that kids will be more excited in cooking or baking in the kitchen when they have a better understanding of where food comes from.
Reach out for help. Especially if given the fact that the kitchen isn't one of your favorite spots in the house, but you want your child to know life skills, enrolling them in a class to learn kitchen basics would be a good idea, Theile says.
