by Kat Ballew

Created on: September 28, 2009

Raising three boys, with my youngest being 13, was very challenging, and as they get older they get hungrier! It seems I have spent a good portion of my life cooking, and I truly believe the saying that of all the rooms in the house, everyone always ends up in the kitchen.

As a working mother, my kids often did their homework at the kitchen table as I was preparing dinner. It was nothing new for them to set the table, set out the butter, or stir the soup. I believe that allowing children to help without making it seem like a chore is a great way to get them interested in learning to cook. Of course it goes without saying that teaching them to be safe is the first and most important lesson of all!

Another thing is to teach the boys that cooking is not just for girls, and the girls that it is an art, not what is expected from them! You have to make it interesting, and an easy way to do this is let them help. Usually kids love to help decorate cupcakes or bake cookies, and this is a great way to start.

After a few lessons in the kitchen, let them cook dinner for you! Ask them to plan what they would like to cook, suggest easy things like hot dogs, or soup and sandwich, and take them shopping. Let them pick out what they need. This gives them a sense of responsibility as well. You could even go so far as getting them their own apron or even a chef hat!

There are many fun and easy things to cook. I remember the famous "egg in a hole" recipe. You take a piece of bread, cut a circle in it with a glass, put it in a pan and break an egg in the circle. My middle son loved it, and it was easy to teach him to make it himself. He even submitted it as a recipe when his school made a school cookbook. Starting out with simple things that are also fun makes it appealing.

It is amazing at how many recipes are on the backs of soup cans, on the boxes of baking mix, flour, and even crackers! Pointing this out to children is a great way to get them interested in cooking. Most of them are simple and easy to make, and a lot of them are actually very good! Or whenever we went to friends house for dinner, cookouts, or family get-togethers, and the kids loved Aunt Sue's dump cake, or Grandma's macaroni and cheese, we would get the recipe and they would try making it at home. It gives kids a great sense of achievement to make something and have it turn out and taste great.

Helping children to make their own cookbooks, or even to start writing down and saving recipes is a great idea, not only to get them interested in cooking, but makes them feel like they have their own "special" things to cook.

There are many ways to get children involved. The best way I believe it to encourage them, praise them and support them, even if they do get a little messy sometimes. Who knows, they may have a future as being a great chef one day!

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