One of the easiest ways to combat fussy eating habits in children is to get your kids involved in cooking from a young age. Being hands-on with food prep as a child can make all the difference when it comes to trying different tastes, textures and cuisines.
You don’t have to hand over the rolling pin and apron to your toddler; there are plenty of age-appropriate tasks that even young children can get involved with to encourage experimentation with food from the outset.
Read on to find out how to get your kids involved in the kitchen….
Delegate Simple Tasks
You don’t have to go in all guns blazing when it comes to getting children involved with cooking.
Start simple and ask your little sous chef to pass you the ingredients, wash vegetables or stir in ingredients to a mixing bowl. They’ll love the responsibility, and it will really help get them excited about how food is prepared and cooked.
Encourage Taste Testing
What is the best way to get kids to try new foods? Give them a spoon and encourage them to try the food as you cook it.
Ask them if you need to add more spice to a curry or sweeten a pudding up, and you’re guaranteed to combat fussiness by the time it gets plated up.
Ask For Their Input
If you always meal plan as a solo activity, involve the whole family and ask the kids what they want to cook and eat. When they have a say in what’s being served, you’ll be surprised at how much more they will eat at dinner time.
Talk Through the Process
Even if your child is too young to really get too hands-on, it’s a brilliant opportunity to impart wisdom and get them thinking about the process behind cooking. Talk them through what you are doing at each stage and encourage a discussion around the dishes you are cooking, for example, which part of the world the recipe is from, what ingredients you are cooking with and what the food tastes like once it is finished.
Don’t Be Afraid to Get Messy
It goes without saying that children in the kitchen can be a bit messy. Try to embrace the chaos and let their creativity run wild. You can scrub down the kitchen counters (and that hard-to-reach spot on the ceiling) once they are tucked up in bed…
Start Simple
If your older child is ready, why not hand over the reins and let them make some simple dishes from scratch themselves? The easiest dishes to start with are recipes that require only a few ingredients and a small number of steps. Think spaghetti bolognese, sausage and mash and simple curry with rice and naan bread on the side.
By getting kids involved in the kitchen, you minimise not only fussy eating but also teach valuable life skills whilst sharing a fun activity together. Grab that cookbook and get creative in the kitchen with your little ones today!
