Cooking: The Perfect Kids' Confidence-Builder
Do you remember learning how to cook or bake something for the first time?
I have fond memories of making cookies, cakes, and brownies with my mom and my sister. It was so exciting when we got to dip the measuring cups into the sugar, or when we got to use a rubber spatula to get every last bit of dough out of the bowl. I loved watching the teaspoon of vanilla extract get mixed into the batter until it disappeared.
My mom has one plastic bin where she kept all the good stuff (chocolate chips, sprinkles, food coloring!) for cookie decorating. And of course, the bit at the end when we get to lick the batter off the spoon? A transcendent moment for a kid!
It always felt like a special occasion when I got to help out with meals and snacks in any way. And any little cooking task counts! Check out this picture of me at 4 years old, building my marshmallow-roasting skills with my brother and friends:
Mistakes and Messes Were Made
I will never forget when my mom let me make a pan of brownies, all by myself. I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil, and they ended up tasting too funky for our family to eat. After a few unpleasant bites, they ended up straight in the garbage bin.
But That Didn’t Stop Us!
I’m so happy my mom found those moments to let us take the reins. While it meant extra messes for her to clean up later, and some wasted ingredients, it seems like she knew how important it was to let us become more independent in the kitchen.
Even after the disastrous brownie incident, she continued to let me and my sister do more and more of the baking by ourselves. And becoming comfortable in the kitchen didn’t only give us a love of cooking. It built our confidence!
Recipes became easy to understand. Little techniques (like using a toothpick to test a cake for doneness, or folding the batter gently to prevent the cake from getting tough) became second nature. The whole process of baking something from start to finish became fun and exciting. It even became a way we could feel better when we were feeling down.
“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.”
For Kids, Tackling New Things is Tough, But There’s No Better Way To Build Confidence!
As kids get older, it’s important that they find activities and habits that inspire confidence in themselves. If you notice that your child lights up when they help you out in the kitchen, that is a golden opportunity!
Here’s a challenge for you.
The next time they’re helping you out, give them one brand-new task to try. If they’re younger, that could mean peeling the banana, or taking leaves off a head of lettuce for you to wash and chop. If they’re older, that could mean measuring the flour using a level measuring cup, or whisking some eggs for an omelette.
Consider Yourself Forwarned:
This challenge might mean 5 or 10 extra minutes of clean-up time later. It might mean there’s a little too much salt in today’s pasta sauce. But if you’re up for the challenge, this can be an amazing way to build your child’s confidence, both in the kitchen and beyond!
If you’re taking on the challenge, I’d love to hear how it goes!