“Mommy, Can I Help?”

If you want your child to help you in the kitchen the best way to do that is to keep it simple. Keep everything simple.

1. Simple Recipe—Choose a recipe that does not have a lot of ingredients or that does not require a lot of work.
2. Few Ingredients—The less you have to add or do the better. This way your child will feel helpful without feeling mom’s frustration.
3. LOTS of PATIENCE –Make sure that you have lots of patience. Kids make mistakes. Expect them to spill things or not things over. Do not be angry with your child when this happens. Show them how to clean up. Use this as a teaching moment. Both you and your child will feel much better about it.
4. Have lots of time—Make things with your children when you have lots of time. This will make the experience pleasant for everyone. If you are rushed, the experience will loose its fun.

Cooking with your kids can be an extremely enjoyable experience. One thing that I have always tried to do is allow my kids to help me in the kitchen at whatever age they could.

My one year old likes to come in the kitchen and go through the cupboards. I take out some
Tupperware containers for her to play with while I am working in the kitchen.

My two and a half year old now gets to do some harder things. I let her put the measured spices that I am holding with her into the mixing bowl or the dinner. She loves this. She also likes to help stir. I hold her hand and help her to stir. She is a bit clumsy right now, falling off of the stool at times. I try to make sure her feet are stable on the stool prior to having her help. My four year old is learning how to cook chicken in a skillet. He likes to stir and add things like vegetables to our meals while they are cooking. I have taught my six year old how to make scrambled eggs. She can do the whole breakfast now. She does need direction and supervision still, but she knows what to add and how much. She says that Scrambled Eggs with Homemade Gourmet Dill Seasoning is her favorite meal.

I love to spend time with my children. I like that they want to help me and be with me in the kitchen. I want to enjoy my moments and time with all of them as much as possible. It brings a HUGE SMILE to my face when I hear one of them run to the kitchen saying, “Mommy, can I help?”

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Stacey Walker has a Homemade Gourmet Home Business. She uses her Homemade Gourmet products regularly for cooking fast and easy to prepare meals. She is currently using Homemade Gourmet in her meal planning and when teaching her children to cook. Visit her website at www.4minutemeals.com

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