Preschoolers Serve Up Some Pleasant Surprises

Here’s a sentence for you to finish:

“When children are allowed into the kitchen….”

If your answer touches on some variation of all hell breaking loose, you are about to discover that a) you are wrong (a good thing here!) and b) you are not alone. Most adults assume that chaos will rule – and spaghetti sauce splatters will become your new wallpaper — when kids jump into a cooking project. And while it’s true there might be a few spills, most children (and I’m talking really little ones here, ages 3 through 6) respond to a cooking invitation with surprising good will and a sense of respect. They are so honored to be included in this adult realm, and most will want to do their very best in every way.

There is so much a small child has to gain from cooking. And by “cooking,” I mean everything from plucking basil leaves from their stems to make pesto, washing a zucchini with a little soft brush in a bowl of water, buttering bread, whisking pancake batter, spreading beans and sprinkling cheese onto a tortilla, or pouring milk into a bowl from a spouted measuring cup. He learns to count, observe, anticipate, describe. She sees science in action, and gets clues about other cultures while honing her own senses. Pride of accomplishment and the ability to reach out to others with an edible offering combine into what might be the most significant factor of all. If you are lucky enough to remember the first time you made something for another person to enjoy eating or drinking, and if that first time was early in your life (or even if later), you will recognize that feeling I am trying to convey – it’s a thrilling sense of effectiveness in loving outreach — something little kids rarely get to experience. And it stays with you as a point of referral and confidence for the rest of your life. (For me, it was when I was seven, and I figured out that it would make my parents very happy to have their coffee waiting for them, freshly brewed, first thing in the morning. So I learned how, and I started making their coffee every Saturday morning. I was so proud, here I am still writing about it!)

When cooking with small children, it’s important that you be present in the kitchen the entire time as a gentle guide for the project. Get everything set up ahead of time – ideally on their level (a child-sized table) so they won’t have to climb and possibly teeter upon high stools. Keep sharp knives out of reach, and be sure that other sharp blades, such as those in a blender or food processor, are “adult touch only.” If you are cooking with heat (an electric skillet on the table, for example), discuss that fact ahead of time, and set out some safety rules – most importantly, that only an adult has any dealings with an oven. Anticipate spills by using larger-than-normal bowls and placing trays under mixing stations, and have a plentiful supply of plush towels handy. Keep a sense of humor, and relegate kid-cooking projects to weekends, on days when there is no clock ticking – either for getting to the next activity or for getting an actual meal on the table. Don’t cook together when frazzled or hungry – just do it for fun. If it ends up becoming a little meal in the process, consider that a bonus.