Teaching Your Child to Cook: A Safety Guideline

I was prompted to write this article after my almost 7 year old son showed interest in cooking breakfast with me one morning. He always wanted to crack eggs for me, but this time he wanted to cook them too!

Cooking can be a great bonding experience between you and your child. Though it will be a great time for you both, you must remember that they are children. It's your job to keep them safe, as well as teach them how to be safe.

Follow this guide to begin cooking with your child. You can even print it out and go over it with your child every now and then to make sure they don't forget!

· Make sure the child is the right age. Basically, if your 3 or 4 year old wants to cook, realize at that age, they want to do everything! Of course, they can mix cake batter with you, but this is geared more toward using the stove. Waiting would probably be in your best interest. Every child is different. You are the best person to determine if your child is ready.

· ALWAYS supervise your child. You want to make sure they stay safe every step of the way. If you allow them to use knives, any sharp utensils, or appliances with sharp parts, make sure you show them the proper way to hold them and use them. Also, let your child know to always keep an eye on what is cooking. Tell them to never leave what they are cooking unattended. Great time to give a lesson on fire safety.

· Teach your child about stove safety. Show them how to turn it on, and most importantly, tell them if for any reason the flame goes out, immediately shut it off. Even if you have an electric stove, teach them about gas, and that it can blow up. Tell them things to never leave on the stove, such as combustible materials or grease. And explain that these are major items for starting fires. Try not to teach them in such a manner that they will be deathly afraid, then they won't want to cook!

· Choose something to cook. Sit down with your child and decide what you both want to cook together. Do you want to start of simple and make eggs like my son and I did? Or does your child have a favorite food? That may be the way to go!