5 Ways To Instill A Love Of Cooking In Your Kids
Imagine this: your child (who until now ate a diet of only bread and peanut butter) proudly presents you with a dish they cooked themselves. And they’re excited to eat it.
This isn’t just a meal; it’s a recipe for a lifetime of healthy habits—and hopefully the end of your days as a short-order cook. Studies show that when kids get involved in cooking, there are many benefits, including eating more diverse diets and developing a stronger understanding of nutrition.
But how do we spark that love of cooking in our kids and teens? Here are five engaging ways to turn your kitchen into a culinary adventure zone for the whole family. Bonus tip: Make the experience even easier this summer by signing up for Camp Goodfood, a six-week series of family-friendly meal kits delivered right to your door paired with video tutorials for parents and kids by the No. 1 Canadian meal-kit brand, Goodfood.
Cook Together
When you’re used to running the show in the kitchen, inviting tiny (or big) chaos machines into your workspace can be tough, but it’s the best way for kids to learn. Kitchen time is quality time. Cooking together fosters communication and teamwork while teaching responsibility.
When you sign up for Camp Goodfood, you’ll get six meal kit deliveries, each with a new video tutorial hosted by head chef Jordana Rebner and special guest (and Goodfood mascot) Richard the Raccoon. The recipes are kid-friendly (think burgers and fries, stuffed-crust pizza and gourmet mac and cheese), and the videos take families through each step of the recipes with helpful tips and tricks along the way.
Involve Them In Every Step
While having your kids stand near a hot stove may seem daunting, you don’t want to relegate them to taste-testers. Letting them take part in every step—from planning through preparation and cleanup—gives them a sense of ownership, making them more invested in the final product. With Camp Goodfood, parents and kids both get to play an active and equal role in the meal-preparation and cooking process. This can be a game changer for picky eaters especially, as studies show that children who help prepare a meal are more likely to try it.
Engage Their Senses
Taste and smell aren’t the only important senses when cooking. Teach your kids how all five of their senses can help them in the kitchen. For instance, Camp Goodfood focuses on a new sense with every week of cooking together. It encourages kids to feel the texture of the ingredients they’re preparing, watch pizza dough turn a golden brown in the oven or listen as oil bubbles in a pan.
Focus On Exploration
Forget perfection. Let kids experiment with flavours, get messy and celebrate the science behind delicious food. Camp Goodfood’s recipe for Fancy Mac & Cheese allows kids to witness science in action as the flour transforms into a golden paste, thickening the cheesy sauce.
Celebrate
When your culinary creation is complete, take a moment to celebrate and shower your kids with praise. Acknowledge their effort and contribution throughout the cooking process. Tell them how much you appreciate their help and how delicious the food tastes. When you complete your six recipes from Camp Goodfood, you can present your kids with the certificate of completion at the end of the booklet, adding a fun touch of recognition to their culinary achievements.
The most rewarding part? Studies show that children who believe they are capable cooks are more likely to eat a healthy diet. Empower your children in the kitchen and set them up for a lifetime of healthy choices and a love of food far beyond the dinner table.
Available to all Canadians, the six-week series starts at $270, plus tax. It includes:
- A welcome kit with an activity booklet, two matching aprons for a parent and child, a children’s chef hat and a child-friendly whisk.
- Six Goodfood meal kit boxes with four portions and accompanying 15-minute cooking tutorial videos (available in English and French).
- A Richard the Raccoon stuffy in the first 1,000 orders