Mini Cooks –The Under 3’s Learn Future Skills

A recent guide published on the BBC suggests that learning to cook early on can be hugely beneficial for kids as they grow up.

Habits start early they say, so getting your children involved in cooking now means they’ll get all the rewards later on. Yes, it’s sure to be messy, and take a little longer to prepare, but let’s consider how much they’ll thank you when they can do more than boil an egg when preparing for university life!

Little learners

From about the age of 3-years-old, kids can learn to cook. They learn through play as readers will know and so having fun in the kitchen is what it’s all about.

Cooking with new ingredients gives the kids a chance to try new foods they’ve helped create. They have a natural curiosity to explore new things. They are capable too and enjoy the different textures, smells and equipment which come with cooking.

There are plenty of things they can enjoy such as cleaning vegetables, prepping salad and squeezing citrus fruits. Novices will love getting into the washing up too which is always handy for busy parents!

So what kind of things can they cook?

There’s plenty of healthy food to cook out there and NHS offer a ton of useful food / dietary information for your disposal. Remember that to make things easy, you could mix and match with something healthy from the freezer to reduce the prep time.

Oven-cooked fries can be served alongside these recipes as a great accompaniment and your kids are sure to squeal with delight when you take the McCain’s bag out the freezer.

Click here for more information on McCain fries if you want to match up the nutritional info with the rest of your dish or simply want some more information on the product.

Cooking with small children: tips

To get your little ones involved in the kitchen, try these great (and safe) ideas:

• Dips are great for small hands and make the perfect finger food side at lunchtime. Cut vegetables into sticks – getting your kids to wash them first and help you choose their favourite healthy goodies. Fries are also good with dips, as are pitas and flatbreads, so get your kids’ help whipping up a few of them. Then serve with guacamole or salsa and watch them enjoy. A good ketchup-based dip is always recommended too and you can add a few extra ingredients to make it more tasty!
• Kids coleslaw: chop the carrots, a little white onion, (not too strong for kids) and red cabbage to make a delicious child-friendly coleslaw. For added sweetness, throw in some raisins or sultanas.
• Couscous salad: serve warm as a side dish with stews and curries or cold as a salad and watch your kids lap it up. A great way to spice up a salad, it’s a great way to give their lunchbox a little extra flavour and encourage them to get some goodness inside them.

There are plenty more recipes for children available online if you want to try a few other ideas but those mentioned above will give you something to start with.

Photo Credit

Kids Cooking – Microsoft Office Clipart Collection

Guest Author Bio
Katie Golder
Katie is an experiences freelance writer with a keen interest in health and fitness.

When she’s not offering tips to readers, she’s enjoying her own healthy lifestyle by enjoying a balanced diet and partaking in numerous sports such as badminton, swimming and kayaking.

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