Cooking with preschoolers - the practise

Embrace the mess when cooking with preschoolers. It's nothing that cant be cleared up.

What does cooking with preschoolers look like?

It looks messy. There really is no getting away from that. Preschoolers and tidy don't generally go hand-in-hand. But that shouldn't be a reason to not cook with them. There are things you can do to minimise the mess.

Setting up

Whilst some cooking may be spontaneous, if you are planning ahead, then these would be my top tips:-

1. Choose a recipe that is quick.
  Children may only be able to focus for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Measure out all your ingredients.
  Whether I am setting up for a cooking class or for my daughter to cook, I pre-weigh most of the ingredients and keep them fresh in lidded pots. I use these from Amazon* Consider halving the ingredients and having a bake off.
3. Get all your equipment ready.
  Put a tablecloth on your table, layout a bowl, spoon, other cutlery or utensils. Everything you are going to need. That way you are not having to stop to find something you are missing.
4. Preheat the oven.
5. Have fun

Note to parents

Children love to help in the kitchen, but they need close supervision. Don't try making dinner at the same time as cooking with your preschooler.