I love the idea of my children helping in the kitchen and they love to help, but sometimes the extra mess, arguments over who can lick the spoon and impatience with cooking time, make it slightly less enjoyable for me than them, but I have such happy memories of helping my Dad in the kitchen on Sunday afternoons that I really want my children to have the same experience. Luckily IKEA are here to help, with five rules to help bring the fun back into cooking and kids back into the kitchen.
Safety is another important factor with kids in the kitchen, I get especially worried when my son helps cook food on the hob, but while of course I want him to be safe, I also want him to have the great experience of learning to cook at a young age.
IKEA’s Life At Home Report finds that nearly half of all parents feel a lack of time to play with their children and feel guilty about this which I can totally empathise with as I feel the same guilt. I’m also very conscious that I want my children to have basic food knowledge and cooking skills.
Do you get your children involved in the kitchen, how do you make it a fun experience?
IKEA believes that children are the most important people in the world, and that there is a lot to learn by listening to them. So we think it’s time to let kids into the kitchen. Letting them in for real. It’s time for cooking with parents.
For the IKEA Life at Home -report 8,500 people in New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Moscow, Mumbai and Shanghai have been asked about their everyday thoughts and habits in and around their kitchens, to find out how the moments around food affect their wellbeing. Read the full report here.
In association with IKEA
The twins love it, me a little less to be honest, only because life is easier if I get on by myself. I really must find some time and patience!
Whenever I get in the kitchen with the children it is to make cakes or biscuits etc rather than meals, I really should start showing them how to prepare simple meals
Both my two can prepare simple meals and one of their favourite things to do is pretend they’re running a restaurant. We have to book a table and everything 😉
My boys are getting to the point where they’re asking to help me in the kitchen. I need to set aside time to teach them cookery skills.
I’ve been cooking with my kids since they were two years old.They all love it and my 10 year old and 13 year old cook by themselves.My 7 year old is more about baking and making a mess.