Weaning a child is a difficult feat, but when you have fussy children, that is even more of a difficult task. One of the best things you can do for your child is to encourage them to try new things and help them learn to cook. It’s actually worrying how many people don’t know how to cook and if your child doesn’t know how to cook, then they won’t be able to make healthy dinners. In this article, we will go through some proven methods to get your children interested in cooking.
Get Them Involved
One of the hardest things to do as a parent if you have fussy eaters is to try and get them interested in trying new foods. One way that has shown positive reactions is to get your child involved in the cooking of food. This could be as simple as making bakery products like cakes or washing the vegetables, cutting them and then pop them in a pan. Obviously, it is best to have them do things that are in their age range as they don’t want to hurt themselves. Helping your child to prepare the food encourages them to be more interested as they will get to try what they have helped with.
Let Them Experiment
This one can turn out either way but allow your children to experiment with different ingredients and flavours. One way of doing this is by getting ingredients that they like and dislike and get them to combine things together. This will encourage them to be more adventurous when they try new things. It will also help them realise what flavours go well together and also what really doesn’t. This has been proven to create some taste disasters but some things have worked out pretty well so give it a try, if you don’t enjoy the food, your children will love the experimental activity.
Create A Mini Garden
Worryingly, children and surprisingly a lot of adults can’t relate fresh or raw ingredients to what they find in the supermarkets. This does not help your child in the long run, they should know where their food comes from so they can make their own decision later on. There is no point masking things away as this will prove to be a hard reality later on in life. Giving your child a space in the garden where they can plant their new fruits and vegetables will improve this and encourage them to find out where other foods come from.
Take Them Shopping When You Next Go
I know that sounds like a trip from hell, and it probably is so possibly taking it in turns to take each child separately. This allows them to see what goes where and also learn the different categories in the shops. You could even make a game out of it like eye spy but ask them if they can find a specific product. This is a great opportunity to build some excitement around food. Another great way to do this is to take them to farmers markets, so they can ask the producer questions if they have any.
Make Some Simple Jobs
Do you just let your child sit at the table and wait for their dinner? Yes? Well, that needs to change. If your child just sits at the table and waits then they won’t be interested in anything that you are doing. Rather than this, get them to do jobs that need doing before their food such as lay the table, put the waters and get the condiments out on the table. There are many different things and traditions people do before they eat so this is all up to you.
Choose A Recipe
This is a fantastic way to get your children excited about food every night. Give your kids a say in what they eat by allowing them to choose a recipe they want to eat and help to cook. If you have multiple kids, you can get them to choose a day that they want to cook and then allow them to get on with it with some help from yourself of course. They can help by picking up the ingredients and even ask them if they would like a certain flavour or variation to get them thinking. Then, get them in a smock and allow them to explore and get messy!
Watch Cookery Programs
If you have no plans on the weekend mornings, rather than getting them to watch endless amounts of Roary or Peppa pig, watch Saturday Kitchen with them or other cooking programs. This is a great way to get them to learn more about the food that comes from different cultures, how dishes are prepared and also discover new dishes that they would like to try. By getting them to watch things like this, it will instantly get them excited to get in the kitchen so it might be best to have some ingredients in the kitchen so they can make something.