AUSTRALIA, July 10, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Children are curious beings, little sponges keen to learn how to do things and be involved in helping around the house. One of those household activities is cooking. Involving them in the cooking process is not just good for learning how to make a meal but also good for motor skills, conversational skills and self-confidence.

Maria Georgiou knows from experience how important it is for children to be involved in this family activity. When her son was three, he asked if he could help in the kitchen. As much as Maria wanted to let him help, her son had dyspraxia (clumsy child syndrome), and handing him a knife was courting disaster. She found a solution. Maria designed and manufactured a safe knife suitable for children’s hands.

“I ended up designing KiddiKutter because by giving my son freedom in the kitchen it gave him so much more than the thrill of being able to help mum cook,” Maria said.

“Having the right tools, like KiddiKutter, for children to use is important because as a parent, you know they are safe and I found, from letting my kids be involved in making food for the family, there are so many other benefits.”

Maria says there are five reasons to get kids to cook.

1. Expand their palate - when children are working alongside you to prepare food, you can encourage them to taste as they go. When children are able to touch and feel the ingredients, they are curious about the taste, feel and sensations of the food. It is a good way to introduce a wider variety of flavours into their diet.

2. Health conversations - while your child is expanding their palate, you can have tasty conversations about why the food is good for them. You can talk about the colour of the food - why the orange in carrots is good for their eyes, or the red in tomatoes also give vitamin C as oranges do.

3. Follow instructions and improve maths skills - being able to read a recipe and follow the instructions is good for brain development and problem-solving. Cooking encourages thinking, problem-solving, and creativity and an opportunity to use counting, measuring, following a sequence, following directions, and cause and effect.

4. Family time - life is so busy and quality time is more important than ever. By making a cake or a lunch together you get to spend time with your child, talking about the day, what they are watching and how they are feeling. It is a good opportunity to check in with how life is going for them ...and they will love the one-on-one time with you.

5. Confident kids - Hands-on cooking activities develop confidence and skills. Teaching your child how to use a knife safely, how to measure flour into a bowl or serve the meal onto the plate, gives children an opportunity to be independent. Try to let them make mistakes and a mess. The more they are able to make their own decisions, the more resilient they will be.

One day your little one will be leaving home and the recipe for strong, resilient children can start in the kitchen.

Annette Densham
The Audacious Agency
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