Cooking is a fantastic bonding activity for children of all ages. No matter the age of your children currently, you can start to teach them basic cooking skills and boost their confidence in the kitchen. When you have multiple children, they have the opportunity to support one another as cooks, pushing each other further during each session in the kitchen. Let’s take a look at some of the key things to keep in mind when cooking with siblings and the ways in which they can support each other to keep building their skills as chefs.
Learn to Work as a Team
The best thing about having multiple assistants in the kitchen is that you can all take on various tasks as a team. Children need to learn from a young age about the importance of working together and how much quicker things can be done if only you cooperate with one another. We all know that siblings have a tendency to fight from time to time, so learning to work in harmony is something we encourage anyone to share with their children. You’ll find that kids that spend time with their siblings doing organized activities are much more likely to share a stronger bond in the future and enjoy spending time together out of their own free will.
Share Skills with Each Other
When you have a large age difference between your kids, you may think that it’s a lost cause trying to get them to work together in the kitchen. That’s not the case at all, as you can teach your older child leadership skills when they start to share their skills with their young sibling. This is something that often isn’t taught in schools until an older age, which is why we encourage you to nurture leadership skills in order to help them grow and develop. The younger child will love learning from their older sibling, and they will enjoy practicing and trying to impress them to win their approval. You may find that they are more likely to listen to their siblings than to you as a parent, which can help to take some of the pressure off from you when working in the kitchen together.
A Fun Rainy Day Activity
Siblings are much more likely to fight with one another when they are left to sit around the house on a rainy or cold day. That’s why parents always need to have a range of activities they can turn to in order to keep their little ones entertained. Siblings will enjoy having a good distraction on boring days, and cooking is one of the best ways to waste a few hours. At the end of the time in the kitchen, you’ll have a delicious snack or meal ready to share with your whole family. It’s a much more productive way to spend the day hanging around the house than just sitting in front of the TV, and will help to equip your children with lifelong skills.
Learn to Compromise
Siblings are unlikely to want to do and eat exactly the same things at all times. For that reason, cooking is a great opportunity to learn about compromise and working together to come to an agreement. In fact, you’ll find that the more often you cook together, the easier it will be to decide what you all want to make. If your kids are always arguing about what to cook, you can create a simple rota which shares what dishes you’ll make on a specific day. This will help to avoid arguments and ensure that your kids all get to cook something they are excited about from time to time. They’ll be able to take this understanding into the real world after, where everyone has different preferences and dietary requirements.
Bring Out Their Competitive Side
Playing nice in the kitchen is something we always encourage, but there’s nothing wrong with adding a little competition to your cooking sessions. Siblings will enjoy competing with one another to see who can bake something quicker or tidy away everything the fastest after the cooking session is done. You can always make any task in the kitchen a game, as long as safety is kept in mind at all times. Many children are very complacent with their skills, but encouraging competition between them will help to bring out their competitive side, which will always be useful when at school or college in the future.
Create Memories to Last a Lifetime
Days sat in front of the television or playing video games all blur into one, but fun experiences with your siblings and family will stay with you long after the day is over. It’s so important for parents to try to offer their children the best upbringing possible, and making sure their days are filled with fun activities is one way to do this. Your kids will look back fondly on their time together in the kitchen in the future. No doubt they’ll want to continue cooking together in their teenage and adult years and they’ll be more likely to pass these skills onto any children they potentially have in the future. Never underestimate how much your children will remember about the time you spend together, as it’s something that not every parent offers to their kids as they grow up.
There are so many reasons we encourage siblings to spend time together in the kitchen cooking. As a parent, you’ll want to oversee their cooking sessions, so that they remain safe at all times. We offer a range of products that are designed to support young cooks, helping them to be safe and have fun when cooking. Take a look through our site today for more inspiration for cooking with siblings and to start planning your next sibling cooking session. You’ll find that your children grow much closer when they start doing fun activities together while also creating memories that they’ll treasure for years to come.
