Cooking with children can provide some great experiences but it may also cause a few issues. In order to avoid disaster, here is a brief overview of the best practice in terms of cooking with young children!
Time: you should take it and above all make quality time, without stressing and rushing.
Good habits: washing your hands thoroughly, preparing the work surface with the right utensils, choosing easy to make recipes, suitable for children. You can also only choose the ingredients if you want to give free rein to their creativity! Tidy the kitchen while cooking the dishes, and do it all together!
Creativity: allow it to be expressed and don't hesitate to note it all down in a recipe journal (link to recipe journal article).
Making them responsible: you should involve your children as much as possible in carrying out the activity by gradually adjusting their degree of independence. Ideally, adapt all the tasks to their age. For cutting up food, you can, as far as possible (for carrots for example), precook them then suggest that the kids cut them up with a suitable knife.
Fun: have fun, create memories and have a good time in the kitchen and then at the table...
Making precautions a habit: ensure that they understand them as habits rather than as occasional constraints. Its reassuring for your child and for you.