If you’re someone who loves cooking, it’s natural that you’d want to share your passion with your child. However, as you probably know, the kitchen can be a very dangerous place if not approached correctly. There are burners on the stove, there are sharp knives everywhere—you get the picture. Left unattended, the kitchen is not a good place for a child to roam, which begs the question: at what age is it okay for your child to start cooking?
Gradually and Carefully
Perhaps it’s not so much about what age is right. It’s not like once they turn ten that means they’re allowed full access to the kitchen. Rather, it makes more sense to gradually ease them into kitchen life. Perhaps when they’re four, you can let them “pour” some water into a cake batter. Then you can shoo them away from harm.
As the years go on, you can slowly but surely give them slightly more difficult tasks, all the while explaining to them how dangerous everything is and how careful they need to be. Before you know it, they’ll be little pros themselves.
This is probably the best way to approach things if you’re excited to teach your sons and daughters how to cook. Too much, too fast isn’t ideal, at any age. But easing them into it as they grow older—that’s the ticket.
