The child in the kitchen - a nightmare of many mothers.
Some fear: what if something will break or overturn. Kitchen not toys for children!
"After his help, I'll be a week to wash everything!" - others say. Is a woman a little trouble at home? Simply sit for the toddler cartoons and everything very quickly cook.
But prejudices dissipate when mothers learn about what can benefit together with your child cooking.
Perception, thinking, motor skills
Orange round, elastic dough, sweet raisins. For the little man is very important sensory perception of the world. The more channels of perception are involved, the better. In the kitchen, the child sees a lot of objects of different colors and shapes, to hear their name and remembers what they feel and taste. It enriches the inner world is not worse than the special educational games.
Growing up, children begin to understand: to bake cookies, a little everything goes into one bowl. Each recipe - it is a certain sequence of actions. First you need to mix the ingredients, then cut molds amusing figures, send them in the oven and wait. Watching his mother, the child begins to think logically. You want to get a certain result? Carry out such a sequence of actions.
In the cooking process children learn to hold and transmit a variety of items: spoon, strainer and so on. Every time they are more confident treated with utensils and perform tasks requiring coordinated hand-eye.
What can be trusted with young cook? A lot of things!
- 2-4 years: The child would be happy to sculpt dough, molds cut from it figures, because it is already well-honed this skill in the sandbox near the house, and, of course, sprinkle everything golden sugar or soft sugar hearts.
- 5-8 years: The child becomes present assistant handles cutting and weighing of ingredients on kitchen scales can prepare molds for baking muffin.
- 9-12 yearsBy this time the child is already usually develops kitchen appliances such as electric and microwave oven, and is ready to meet with a mixer and an oven.
I myself!
For the first time these words parents hear when the child turns 2-3 years. At this age, the baby struggles to demonstrate independence, showing sometimes striking stubbornness. Two hours wore sandals: not on the wrong foot, but myself!
Psychologists call this a crisis of three years and are advised to encourage the independence of children. Yes, it takes a lot of time and sometimes annoying, because my mother instinctively realizes that her child no longer feels it in one piece, he gets his own "I".
Cooking is great for training independence. When the child trust such a serious matter, as cooking dessert for the whole family, he feels, how important. :)
Also, the baby soon learns: to be independent - it means to be responsible. He decided to start a batter for pancakes? Himself and wipes if it suddenly accidentally spilled.
Who Knows?
When the child turns five years, parents have a new attack, "Mom, why in the oven muffin dough turns into a bun?", "Why is milk white?", "Why is sugar sweet?". Hundreds of "why", which will not hide, do not hide.
It sounds incredible, but cooking with a child, playing with it, it is possible to simultaneously train.
So, you can learn the color and taste of the product easily, simply calling them: red raspberry and sweet, lemon yellow and sour milk white and creamy. According to the inscriptions on the labels can be repeated letters and hone reading technique. A kitchen measures of weight and volume - a great help in math. Where more glaze: in a teaspoon or tablespoon? You can even write whole culinary tasks: first, we have added three tablespoons of almond powder, and then two more, how much?
Cooking has no boundaries, it can help to study geography and languages. You will not notice, like a child will remember that a cookie macaroon originally from France, and cupcakes in America called cupcakes.
In the book, Professor at Cornell University, Robert Wolke "What Einstein told his cook" kitchen is considered from the point of view of physics and chemistry. During cooking it is really possible to put real science experiments.
Magic? Of course not! Egg is drawn into the bottle due to the pressure drop which is significantly greater outside than inside. The older your child is, the more such facts, he wants to know.
The joy of creativity
The magic begins when a shapeless lump of dough transforms into a beautiful cake, and the kitchen is hovering divine fragrance. Children see the result, realize their involvement and inspire new culinary achievements.
Decorating desserts, making the original cut, serve an table, mother promotes the artistic taste of the child. At first, the baby tries to repeat, and then begins to fantasize himself.
Family unites creativity. In children, increased the level of trust towards adults: they just trusted me to cook, it means that I can rely on them. Parents rejoice when their crumb behaves just as big. Is not happiness when a child burning eyes when he laughs because it all turns out?
But best of all - to gather the whole family around the table and eat cooked. This ritual allows even feed Nehochuha. It is unlikely that the baby will refuse food, which he did.
Security
In the public mind is stable stereotype, like cooking - adult business. But many adults do not like or do not know how to cook, because they had heard as a child: "Do not touch!", "Go away!".
The kitchen is really a lot of things that a child should be used with caution. But that does not mean you have to take away the screaming toddler plug as soon as he touched it. Mother should teach the child care.
If you decide to cook with your children, Think about everything in advance. Pick up the tools and utensils, age-appropriate child. So, trohletke better while wielding a plastic instruments, and first-graders, for example, it is already possible to entrust a small rounded knife.
Explain to children how to deal with various cooking utensils, never tired of repeating safety when working with a stove, remind than dangerous hot teapot.
But most importantly, do not leave them unattended. A child can be creative and self-sufficiency in cooking, but it still needs a mentor. It is you.
Tips
And finally, some advice for those who have never cooked with the children, but now determined to try.
- At first, choose simple dishes that do not require much effort from the child, but from you - training. For example, cook some simple cookies with the addition of almond or hazelnut powder. Kamis company made sure that the mothers could easily implement its plans, and not only offers the highest quality ingredients, but also created a gallery ideas, Inspire culinary creativity together with the children.
- Do not rush the child. Do not get angry, if it is too long and terribly sloppy cut strawberries. He's just learning! Cooking with children is better to choose free time, and not to do it, when half an hour later comes a hungry husband.
- Do not force your children. Do not be surprised if 20 minutes later they all get bored. They will come back, if they charge something really interesting. To smear the pan with oil for a child rather boring, but to mold marzipan or mastic - is another matter. A little time and inspiration, and a small piece of art created by the fingers of the child, cause my mother cheers.
- Praise your little chef! Children is crucial endorsement adults. Let him know that his mother is proud of him and all the efforts are not in vain.
Cooking is like magic. When a person prepares, involves all five senses and adds six - love. Give children love - cook together. After all, happiness for dessert - it's that simple!