Proper work with children in the kitchen

After years of work and countless hours of working in the kitchen with children aged 3 and up, I realized that the barrier of cooking with the children lies first and foremost with us parents, we are afraid of "dirt and clutter", waste of raw materials and even the child will hurt - all true, but to give The child has the sense of ability, the ability to develop and learn and even the sense of maturity we must "overcome" and carry out the cooking process in the right way:

1: Order - prepare the kitchen in an orderly and clean manner and emphasize to the child that he must return the kitchen in the way he received it. Care must be taken to remind the child during cooking that he must be neat and clean and if necessary stop the work and tidy. - Only neat and clean work will result in a perfect result.

2: Proper use of raw materials - let the child collect the ingredients for the recipe you want to cook, also a simple and easy thing for us (for example: omelet) looks big and special in the eyes of the child - instruct the child to collect the various raw materials (vegetables, hard, refrigerator, Pantry and the like) and gather them in the work area.

3: Tools: Here too the child should be allowed to prepare the cooking utensils he will need, instruct him in questions what he thinks he will need to prepare the recipe, you will be surprised by the child's thinking ability and creativity, the child should be instructed to collect all the utensils he will need for all stages. On what plate he would like to serve the dish.

4:  work: After we have arranged and cleaned, collected groceries and brought tools to work - children by nature want everything now and fast - explain to the child about the process and set times in advance - this is an important rule that gives the child a sense of ability and maturity and prevents confusion and impatience.

Work collaboratively with guiding questions such as: What is the next step? What do you think will happen now? What should be added?

Keep order and cleanliness - wash each dish immediately at the end of the stage - we have finished working with a certain dish - instruct the child to wash immediately - it is better not to let the sink "fill up" which will cause the child frustration.

Iron rule: During all stages and especially at work, remind and make sure with the child that he knows what is dangerous (hot, sharp, heavy things, etc.) - do not press and do not stress but keep dangerous things away and let the child express himself.

5: Serving: At the end of the cooking, let the child serve the food in the dishes you have chosen in advance - do not forget to compliment and get excited, it strengthens the feeling of maturity and ability.

6: Order and cleanliness: Remind the child that he must return the kitchen to the condition it was in - instruct him to put the ingredients back in place, wash and tidy the dishes and even move a rag in the work area - this is a very important rule - explain to the child the importance of cleanliness and order so he can cook and work again The kitchen.

7: Eat together - This is a great opportunity for a family meal