Cooking with Kids: Messy Hands, Motor Skills, and Mouthwatering Memories
When we think about cooking with kids, we often think of special times when families gather to make special treats near a holiday. Holidays come with a huge amount of cooking and baking, for parties and family gatherings, for others as gifts, and together with kids to make memories while passing on family traditions. Once the November and December holidays are over, the New Year often ushers in meal-planning resolutions as we settle back into our normal routines. Before we know it, more holidays are around the corner and kids are itching to get their hands messy making some of their favorite foods. But does cooking and baking with kids have to be a special occasion?
Cooking with kids can be daunting, messy, and frustrating. But it can also be endlessly fun, make amazing memories, and build important life skills. Preschoolers and younger children can strengthen confidence, motor skills, and curiosity in just a few minutes while stirring a bowl or ripping up lettuce. Older kids learn measurements, math, food safety, and science while baking a batch of cookies. Exploring different ingredients, recipes, and foods with multiple senses allows kids to develop curiosity and encourage them to explore new foods in different ways.
But where to start? The American Academy of Pediatrics and KidsHealth from Nemours both recommend that if you and your kids are trying out cooking together to start slow. Allow for plenty of extra time and make sure to pick a recipe and tasks that are suited for your child’s age. Younger children can help mix, stir, pour, wash and prepare produce, or sprinkle ingredients into a dish. Older children can help read recipes, measure, and start safely learning kitchen skills. Tweens and teens can start exploring recipes on their own, with some grown-up backup for safety. Cooking together can build new memories and traditions or enhance existing family traditions and recipes. Kids of all ages can explore different textures, tastes, and smells while preparing ingredients, as well as learn about their own family’s favorite foods or explore new foods.
Kids might already love cooking with family, or cooking special foods around holidays together. Kids might love making a traditional family recipe, or want to try something new. They might be inspired by a favorite book, like their favorite characters’ creations in Coco Simon’s Cupcake Diaries series or see a recipe at the end of a picture book like Mama’s Roti by Raakhee Mirchandani. They might love watching cooking shows on television and want to try out their own skills, like the kids on Food Network’s Kids’ Baking Championship. Or they might want to make a pavlova right out of Bluey. Whatever their interest, MCLS has kids’ cookbooks that can suit their interests and age level. Check out these fun kids’ cookbooks below or search the MCLS catalog for more!
For Littles
“Designed for children who can't yet read, Look and Cook Breakfast: A First Book of Recipes in Pictures is an introduction to cooking for kids ages 4 to 8. Following the same easy-to-read visual layout of Look and Cook Snacks, this cookbook features delicious sweet and savory breakfast recipes for the whole family to enjoy--homemade granola, zucchini muffins, and more!”
"Learn how to make yummy food with Bluey and Bingo! Bake some Shadowland Cupcakes, make BBQ Sausages, Capsicum Salad, or write your very own Fancy Restaurant menu! This cookbook lays flat and makes it easy to read and cook fun recipes for everyone to enjoy."
Sesame Street’s Let’s Cook Together by DK Publishing, Inc.
“Elmo, Cookie Monster, and their friends from Sesame Street help make cooking fun by introducing 40 healthy and yummy recipes! Little chefs and their families will learn about healthy habits, food prep, cooking tools, and kitchen safety. With easy-to-follow instructions, clear photos, nutrition tips, and a guide for grown-ups, little Sesame Street-loving chefs will be inspired to prepare and eat healthy dishes that make them say, "Om nom, nom, nom!"”
For Older Kids
"Bring the pixelated adventure of Minecraft to life with this unofficial cookbook featuring 30 recipes from the world of your favorite video game! Featuring 30 recipes for all difficulty levels, this is the perfect guide for an afternoon of cooking with kids under adult supervision. Whether you're making food for a Minecraft-themed party, or your gamer likes to cook, The Unofficial Minecraft Cookbook has something for everyone.”
“Flip through this book and you'll find a great idea for every day of the year, starting today. What's your birthday? Anyone who picks up this book will turn straight to that date to see which treat falls on their special day! Will it be a daisy cupcake made with snipped marshmallows? Miniature chicken and waffles? Homemade chocolate lollipops? A giant pretzel? Of course, all the big holidays are represented, too--like flag tarts for the Fourth of July or spooky treats for Halloween. And we never miss an excuse to celebrate historic events: You can make star cookies on the day Pluto was discovered. The easy recipes were all created with beginner cooks in mind (some use prepared ingredients!), and each one has been tested in Food Network Kitchen, so it's sure to come out perfect every time.”
“Discusses cooking techniques, food hygiene, and kitchen safety, and presents step-by-step instructions for all types of dishes.”
Not quite ready to get cooking with your little one? Check out some fun food-themed books from the MCLS catalog, like Pancakes! Cook in a Book by Lotta Nieminen, Pizza Day! by Melissa Iwa and Mrs. Peanuckle’s Kitchen Alphabet by Mrs. Peanuckle.
Looking for more? Check out Library Chef. With your MCLS library card, you can make an account and get at-home access to video cooking classes and recipes for children or adults on Library Chef. There are two live kids’ classes a month, and previous classes are available to watch at your own pace. Kids’ classes are either intended for ages 5 – 9 or 10 – 16. Coming up in March 2025 are Rice Paper Spring Rolls (ages 10 – 16) and Snack Attack Banana Sushi Rolls (ages 5 – 9).
Elizabeth, Twin Rivers Branch
Comments
Post a Comment