The kitchen is the place in a home that can produce more than a warm loaf of bread that is eaten in an instant. It can nurture warm memories that will last a lifetime. It can foster self- esteem and self worth in children of all ages as they create something of value for others. It can be a place that aids in raising up children who learn to nurture those same family values and ideals in their families, therefore building a legacy that will last generation after generation.

Eventually, as the years go by and the children grow, you may find that you are doing the “helping” jobs and the children have grown into preparing the meals all themselves. You never know! It happened for me and I love coming home to a meal prepared by my teenagers.

Here is a place to share the joy and priceless memories that are created when you cook along with your children. To get it started, here are a few tips to let little hands help in the kitchen by performing tasks that are appropriate for their age. Kids 2-3 years old can “smoosh” marinades and meat in zip tip freezer bags and help wipe up messes, 4-5 year olds love to stir things and set the table “by themselves” while 6-8 year olds are great at washing fruit and vegetables and adding ingredients with supervision, 9-12 year olds can prepare simple meals by themselves, and 13-17 year olds can help with meal planning and making grocery lists. Cooking with kids … it’s time well spent. Tell us what YOUR kids are doing–and saying–in the kitchen! Tami

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 1st, 2006 at 12:01 am and is filed under Kids Cooking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.