I have never been a fan of having my boys help in the kitchen. It has been very hard for me to get there. I was never that mom who would make cookies voluntarily with them, or I barely let them be around me when I was cooking or baking. Instead, I would put them to bed and then bake! I know I am not the only one!!
A couple of years ago my husband sent me this article about kids and independence. I wish I still had it, I don’t, but the one item that stood out to me was that kids should know how to fry an egg by the age of 8. Are you kidding me? My oldest had just turned 8 and the thought of him using the stove was down right scary. After some thinking, I thought, why not, they have to learn at some point.
So at the ages of 8 and 6, I taught my boys how to fry an egg. They can now independently make scrambled eggs and fry an egg, even more than one at a time. They don’t quite have down over easy but their working on it. They have even taught a couple of their cousins how to make scrambled eggs! They can also navigate their way around the kitchen. If I asked for a square baking pan, they can get it, or a small fry pan, they know where that is too. They know when to use a whisk, or what knife I use to cut tomatoes, if you don’t have a tomato knife you really should!! (this is the one I have: Rada Tomato Knife)
My oldest son, will meal plan with me almost every week. The other week he planned our meals for the entire week. I’m not talking about chicken nuggets and Mac and Cheese. I am talking, steak with brussel spouts and onions, with twice baked potatoes. Or chicken kabobs with rice and asparagus. He know my husband doesn’t eat beef so we need to plan an alternative for him. He makes the plan, checks what we have, and makes a list for what we need. He then grocery shops with me and can pretty much make his way through the grocery store without help. He does all the ordering at the meat counter and gets mad if I try to help. If they are out of something on our list he does a great job of changing a meal on the fly, with a little help of course. Recently, we wanted to do a certain kind of marinated chicken which they didn’t have but they did have a chicken fajita mix that looked great, so on the fly we refigured out meals, we brainstormed what we would need for our new meal and bought it. He’s 10! He loves it!
Most days my boys make their own lunch, by doing so they gain independence, they get creative, and they feel like they are contributing to our family dynamic. I love it because it helps them meal plan, they help with the grocery list, and they help with the clean up. They have both grown in their abilities to put healthy meals together (life skill!), to measure the appropriate amounts (math skills!), to read and follow cooking directions (reading skills!), to use the stove and oven (life skill!), and to know the appropriate utensils. See how much learning goes into it, tons!
The picture at the top is one of my oldest son’s creations, pan fried bacon with carrots fried in the bacon grease with multiple different seasonings on! While not a complete meal, he is so proud of himself! I am so proud of him too!
I know its scary to start letting your kids have independence but I guess I would rather they know how life works from a young age. It sure beats having a 21 year old who doesn’t know how to fend for themselves when it comes to food!
–Bri
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