Often the prospect of a floury kitchen, messy hands, and a less than perfect bake puts us off pulling on our aprons. But if we let go of the idea of a spotless kitchen, baking can be a great way to keep children occupied whilst teaching them a thing or two.
Angellica Bell is a mum of two, TV and radio presenter and published cookbook _Fantastic Eats _ She believes that getting hands-on in the kitchen is the start of an adventurous relationship with food. “I don't think you can ever be too young to start navigating around a kitchen. I started hanging out with my gran who enjoyed cooking and feeding her family. From a young age she taught me the basics - whether that was scrambled eggs or picking blackberries in her garden to make a crumble.”
I have baked with my sons, Will and James, since they were tiny – standing on chairs at the kitchen bench. From start to finish prepping and mixing something then popping it into the oven doesn’t take very long but I found it was a great way to get one on one time with a child without exhausting their attention span. My eldest and I would wash our hands together then bake during my youngest son’s nap time. While my sons are much older now, they are still keen to roll up their sleeves and get baking.
Accept the mess
Emily Leary who blogs at amummytoo.co.uk and has published a family cook book called Get Your Kids To Eat Anything, acknowledges that cooking with young kids can often be a messy business. If you lean into this, Emily, says everyone will enjoy it more: “I find when cooking with little ones, it's best to approach it as a play or learning experience rather than hoping for a delicious, Insta-worthy result. And expect a mess! Just put on some old clothes and enjoy the process.”
Emily reminds us to let our kids do the prep and try not to take control “Once you get going, resist the urge to take over. Instead, demonstrate as needed and then encourage your little ones to do age-appropriate tasks with your supervision. It doesn't really matter if the batter has lumps or more cheese goes in their mouth than in the dish – it's more important that they're learning and growing in confidence and building a positive relationship with food.”
When I started baking with my sons, we’d opt for simple recipes that were crowd pleasers. Baking cookies or traybakes were popular but I found it didn’t matter what we rustled up; the boys were so chuffed to have created something that everyone could enjoy.
Cooking with kids will be more chaotic than doing it solo, that’s a fact. But there are steps you can take to avoid little ones getting bored or agitated. I try to have all the ingredients, the oven switched on out plus mixing bowls and spoons ready so we can get stuck in. Emily adds, “Measuring everything out into cups and cereal bowls at the start can help avoid stress. You can do this either before you get the kids involved or have them help if they're able to. It's a good chance for them to use their motor skills and practice some counting.”
Keep it simple
No one is expecting a toddler to deliver a gourmet feast. To begin with, just having a little helper in the kitchen can be enough so they get used to seeing the cooking process and you can discuss the ingredients. Rebecca Wilson (@RebeccaWilsonFood on Instagram) is publishing her next book Budget Family Food (DK) on 29th February.
“My advice would be to start small and give them a small simple task. Anything from washing your fresh ingredients at the sink or stirring the bowl of batter while you prep the other ingredients. Show them a lot of encouragement and praise to help them stay engaged in the task.”
If they are keen, Rebecca recommends moving on to more food prep: “Start letting them do any job, which isn’t dangerous. Spooning some spices into the bowl or placing food on the baking tray. If your little one struggles to stay still and focused, have them sit at the table rather than stood at the kitchen counter, this will help them to concentrate on the task in hand.”
Angellica agrees: “Keep things simple at first. Basic seasoning and dishes. One of the first recipes I learned was rock buns with my gran and that recipe is in my cookbook. It's still a favourite of mine and brings me back to where it all began.”
Cookies, scones, biscuits or pastry dishes can be straightforward things to aim for. I asked my sons when they were younger what they wanted to bake – if they were keen, it made the process easier! This sometimes meant baking mince pies in March with my youngest, James! He’d then play with the pastry offcuts, making shapes or letters so there’s opportunity for sensory play too.
Emily suggests a one-bowl bake which kids can get involved in mixing. “Savoury muffins are a great first recipe for little hands. They can be made with self-raising flour, eggs, milk, oil, cheese and frozen veg, all mixed up in a single bowl and then scooped into muffin cases to bake.”
Every little helps
Whatever you make together will contain less sugar or preservatives than the shop-bought version and probably be healthier too! I also found success with asking my sons to be involved with a couple of aspects of the process – spooning fairy cakes into cases or brushing pastry with a milk or egg wash, helping to roll pastry or stirring a cake batter.
Whatever a child opts to help with, it’s all part of them beginning to learn about making dishes and learning cookery skills plus fussy eaters can be more inclined to eat something they have helped prep.
Rebecca says, “By getting kiddos in the kitchen, you’re exposing them to the huge array of ingredients, helping them to feel more comfortable when new foods are introduced. Not only does this, in simple terms, help children to understand what food actually is, but also encourages them to try new tastes and textures.”
Top tips for baking with toddlers
Quick cook recipes
Bake something that doesn’t take long. Nothing angers a pre-schooler more than a long bake.
Prep first
They lose interest if you root around the back of the cupboard hunting for the new tin of baking powder.
Start simple
Rock cakes, cookies or easy cakes like cornflakes or rice crispy cakes are great places to start.
Ignore the mess
Let the bowls pile up – you can wash up later!
As a freelance writer, Joanna Dunbarcovers parenting, health and lifestyle with the odd opinion-based rant and celebrity interview thrown in.