September 13th is National Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day! 

Now, depending on your stage in parenting, this occasion may elicit any number of emotions.

If you’re a mom of very young ones, turning them loose in the kitchen may—understandably—seem like a genuinely terrible idea.

As they grow a bit older, you might feel cautious optimism as you see them exhibit more awareness and responsibility.

Before you know it, you’ll reach the point where I now find myself, with one (or more) of your children old enough to step in and cover kitchen duties as needed. I’m not going to tell you how you should feel about that prospect, but in my case, it prompted a sense of grateful relief—and not only because I no longer worry about ravenous, sad-eyed kids meeting me at the door the next time an appointment takes longer than expected.

Most of us would probably agree that basic household management needs to be part of home education. We aren’t just teaching academics; we’re preparing our children for adulthood. Independence. A life outside Mom and Dad’s house. And to that end, I believe kids—male or female—need to learn at least rudimentary cooking skills. Even if we weren’t homeschooling them, I just can’t imagine launching my offspring into the world as adults who don’t know how to cook pasta, scramble eggs, or make a grilled cheese sandwich!

Not every child will love the kitchen. The secret is starting young, when they are curious about everything and thrilled at every chance to spend time with you. Begin by just letting them watch, explaining as you do different tasks. Move on to simple jobs like letting them gather and measure ingredients. As they get older, let them assemble an entire recipe (of their choosing) and perhaps, eventually, a whole meal.

If you have several older kids, consider setting aside one night each week and letting them work together—or take turns if that would be better, because “too many cooks in the kitchen” is a very real thing!—preparing dinner for the family. (And by the way, if you don’t use a meal schedule, it’s a huge sanity saver. Check out Bridgitt’s post on meal planning, and download the printable weekly menus!) There may be a few hits and misses along the way as your children hone their abilities, but they’ll become more competent in the kitchen, learn about nutrition and their own food preferences, and usually—especially if you let them pick recipes they want to cook—they’ll enjoy the whole process.

To get your kids excited about taking over the kitchen (breathe, Mom!) at home, we’ve designed free printable pages for building a personal recipe binder. These are suitable for even the youngest would-be chef to write out the ingredients and directions of a favorite dish. One version has space to attach a photo of the completed recipe, if you’d like to include it. The printables are available in three colors—blue, green, and rose—that can be mixed and matched to create a collection your child will treasure for years.

He (or she) may not turn out to be a foodie, but a child who’s comfortable in the kitchen isn’t just a blessing while living (and helping out!) at home … he will be better prepared for adulthood. Why not start teaching those skills now, whatever age your kids may be, and make it fun in the process?

Click the link(s) below to download your printable recipe binder pages:

Recipe Binder Cover & Pages - GREEN

Recipe Binder Cover & Pages - ROSE

Recipe Binder Cover & Pages - BLUE

 

Visit our Recipes section
to help start your child’s collection of favorites!