Children love to ask questions; they’re naturally inquisitive and want to explore the world around them. There are many ways to feed children’s curiosity - starting in the kitchen.
By preparing recipes together from scratch, you’ll stand a good chance of instilling a love of good, healthy food. They’ll learn all about getting the balance right between wholesome options and occasional treats. Check out Annabel’s Top Tips for a Cracking Time in the Kitchen:
1. What a mess: Let’s face it; cooking with kids is never going to be mess free. Spending time in the kitchen with different smells, sights and textures should be a fun and memorable experience, so don’t worry about a bit of mess.
2. Early birds: Kids can join you in the kitchen earlier than you might think. From three years old, they’ll love to measure with spoons, mix, stir, roll dough and cut out shapes, albeit with a helping hand. Give them bowls of various ingredients and let them explore.
3. Squabble-free fun: If you are cooking with more than one child, give each of them their own job or spoon to stir. Yes, it’s important to encourage sharing, but they also want their own responsibilities. It also stops sibling squabbles.
4. Food trivia: It’s important to introduce as many foods as possible at an early age. Try playing a game and blindfold each child before introducing a new food and ask them to guess what it is. Giving them facts is likely to make them more interested about what they are eating.
5. Healthy fast food favourites: Try making healthy junk food using good quality lean meat for burgers and English muffins for pizza bases. A good way to coat homemade fish fingers is to dip them in seasoned flour, beaten egg and crushed cornflakes.
For more recipe inspiration download Annabel’s Essential Guide to Feeding Your Baby & Toddler app. Access more than 200 delicious recipes, as well as a host of features to keep your family on track and enjoying meal times. Download the new version from the App Store now (£3.99) or visit www.annabelkarmel.com.
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