Wash your hands, put on an apron, and gather your family into the heart of your home to create delicious dishes and more.
Whether it comes from a box mix or completely from scratch, spending time as a family in the kitchen has many benefits such as establishing culinary skills, making yummy food and creating lifelong memories.
The first benefit of a family unit cooking together is building and improving culinary skills. The kitchen is a great teaching environment to help your kids build lifelong skills that will help them nurture themselves and others.
Depending on the ages of children and their abilities, you can tackle recipes together.
You can even make it competitive by splitting into teams to see who can make the best meal or dish.
Obviously, the main reason to cook is to make delicious food. Studies show when the adults within a household help prepare and cook food with their children, better nutrition practices can be established earlier and continued throughout their lives. Youth who are involved in the kitchen are educated about their food supply therefore making them informed consumers.
Another reward of cooking together is to create lifelong memories. When children grow up, they may not remember the exact dessert or meal you prepared with them, however they will remember it as a family experience. Yes, it might take longer to prepare your dish, however the bigger takeaway is that you are making memories.
So, go ahead and grab a family favorite from your recipe box or cookbook and get together soon so you can make a delicious meal while improving your cooking skills and creating a lifetime of memories.
If you are interested in other family fun ideas, go to our Facebook page or YouTube channel named Southwind District 4-H or visit southwind.ksu.edu for more youth development resources.
