Preparing dinners with family on weekends seems fun and a way to spend quality time together. It can also boost confidence in kids, help you teach them some life skills, and urge the fussiest eaters to try something new, healthy, and delicious. But, at the same time, it is chaotic, hectic, and challenging to keep the children engaged and entertained while working in the kitchen.

The key to keeping the kids calm and interested is to remain patient and choose recipes wisely or go with the one you already know so you don't run around the kitchen to gather the ingredients. Also, you can assign fun tasks to your kids while working so they don’t get bored. Besides that, there are many other ways to keep the cooking time with your kid fun. Let's learn all those tactics in detail here!

How To Make Cooking With Your Child Fun: Ideas For Parents

Here are some that you can follow to make cooking time with your child fun:

Choose Your Recipes Wisely

If you have younger children, around age 1-5, it may not be easy to cook with them. Choose the recipes you want to try with your kids wisely so that they are not left unattended in the kitchen while you look for the ingredients. It is better to cook something you are already familiar with so you and your kids can enjoy the time in the kitchen. If your kids are older than five or of the age where they can read, you can try new recipes from a cookbook. This way, they can participate in cooking by measuring the cups, getting the ingredients together, or simply reading you the ingredients while you look for them and gather them on the kitchen counter.

Prepare The Ingredients Beforehand

Children are curious; they want to touch everything they see on the kitchen counter, and turning the kitchen into a mess won't take long. When you plan to cook with your kid, ensure you have all the ingredients sorted out and placed on the counter, especially if you have younger children, because measuring ingredients takes time. While you are busy getting all the ingredients together, they can get bored and start playing with the flour on the floor or licking sugar to keep them entertained. If you want to make cooking fun for your kids, ensure you have all the ingredients ready, and then call them to help you.

Take Cooking With A Picky Eater To Your Advantage

If your kid is a picky eater, include him in the meal prep, introduce new ingredients, prepare a different cuisine, or expand the flavor of the food. Pick a recipe your kid is not a fan of; include him in making the dish; make him get the ingredients from the cabinets and put them into the pan. Make him stir into the pan, keep him busy so he is focused and does not get bored while preparing the meal. If he enjoys making the dish, he will surely get excited to try it and may like it.

Give Them Fun Tasks

Give your children fun tasks around the kitchen that are helpful for you, too. Every recipe must have something fun for them, which can save you time. For example, give them potatoes to mash with a fork or a glass bottom, some vegetables and olives to top the pizza, ask them to whisk the baking mixture, smear butter on bread, and so on. Appreciate them when they finish their tasks; as a result, they will be willing to join you in the kitchen next time. If they fail to do certain tasks you assigned due to lack of experience or frustration, deal with patience and allow room for escape so they do not feel burdened.

Get Involve Them In Grocery Shopping

Cooking with your children is fun, but most importantly, it will develop the skills in your children that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives; cooking might become their passion. Cooking with your children and making them pick the ingredients from the grocery store will help them know what ingredients are used for which recipe and in what quantity. They will not have to worry about cooking once they move out and continue with their lives because cooking is a skill that will be instilled in them from a young age.

Fun Recipes To Try With Your Children

You can buy a cookbook or find recipes on the Internet; there are multiple options you can consider. But, for today’s dinner, here are some fun recipes you can try with your children:

1. Rainbow Jello Cubes: This recipe requires patience and attention to detail, so set your schedule before trying it. It will keep your children engaged as they play around with different colors of the jelly. It is sweet and fun to make and does not require special skills; kids of all ages can be engaged in making rainbow jello cubes. All you need is assorted flavored gelatin, unflavored gelatin, and condensed milk.
2. Pretzel sticks: If your kids love to knead, you should try pretzel sticks with them. They are chewy and best eaten warm and fresh from the oven. They taste amazing with a cheese dip. You don't have to run to the grocery store just to get the ingredients for this recipe, as most likely, you already have all the ingredients available at home. You only need active dry yeast, sugar, butter, baking soda, egg yolk, and cheese sauce (dip).
3. Milkshakes: Milkshakes are best for a hot summer day to try with your kids; let them choose the flavor of the milkshake, whether it be a banana milkshake, strawberry milkshake, date milkshake, or apple milkshake. They will be excited to turn on the blender and peel the fruit, and if they are young enough, they can cut the fruit, too. This activity will keep them engaged and excited. As a result, they can consume healthy fresh drinks instead of artificial juices in supermarkets. Let's say you want to try a strawberry milkshake; all you need is four ingredients: milk, strawberry ice cream, fresh strawberries, and strawberry syrup.

Conclusion:

Children are very active and curious; they mess around the kitchen, and you may have to clean afterward. Figuring out how to keep your kids engaged during meal preps can be difficult. Some ways you can make cooking fun with your kids include choosing recipes wisely, preparing the ingredients beforehand, assigning them fun tasks so they don't get bored, and letting them participate in grocery shopping. Buy a cookbook, look up the Internet, and make your children choose the recipe to try and turn cooking into a quality and fun time!