What age should my child start cooking?

So you're wondering if your child is too young to be in the kitchen? We all have to eat, and cooking is a vital life skill. I personally knew that I wanted to use a Montessori-based approach in my parenting, and I think that we've successfully found our flow. As a single mom, I'm also always trying to find ways to engage my toddler in what I'm doing because, to be real, it's easier to watch her when she's right in front of me. We all want our children to grow into strong, confident adults, and cooking together is a fun, necessary way to instill confident decision making & creativity.

You can cook at any age! And beginning around 1-Year of Age, I started immersing my toddler in all kinds of activities in the kitchen - including Practicing Pouring, Kneading Dough, Stirring, Colors, Sounds & More. I've noticed that the more I include her in the cooking process, the more excited she gets to eat the food that she's prepared.

Some of our favorite basic recipes to make together are - pancakes, eggs, muffins & infused waters. I try to include her as much as I can. I primarily take over all of the "heating" roles - frying & baking, but I plan to introduce her in the future.

Any time I feel overwhelmed about spills or activities taking longer than they would if I were to them myself, I think of one of my favorite sayings. "Maybe including the kids slows us down because it's supposed to, or we'd miss the view". I would rather my daughter learn kitchen safety skills while I have the time with her to teach her how to prevent accidents.

If you're based on the Lower East Side in NYC, we're hosting a free Grown-Up & Me Cooking Class offered at the Center for Wellbeing & Happiness where you can practice cooking motor skills & kitchen safety with your child. You can join the waitlist here.