Being the mother of so many children, I often have to rely upon my kids to help me around the house, especially in the kitchen. I’m a firm believer in having my children assist me in the daily chores. It helps to prepare them for adulthood and it keeps them from being lazy!
One area that they assist in regularly is the kitchen. I often have them make their own lunches as well as assist with supper. There are many things that my children can make on their own. Of course, the older the child, the more he or she can do.
My 6 Year old Helping with the Dishes
Here are a few examples of foods that they can help with or make:
Foods My Children Can Make
- Pancakes
- Fried Eggs
- Toast
- Slice Vegetables (with instruction and supervision)
- Macaroni & Cheese
- Boiled Eggs
- Quesadillas
- Cake
- Cookies/Brownies
- Sandwiches
- Make a Salad
My 10 year old daughter and kids older than her can make all of this list if they are asked to. My 6 year old daughter will assist with these tasks, but usually does not do them all on her own, except maybe the toast and sandwiches. My 12 year old daughter can pretty much follow any recipe she wants to and turn it into something good. My 14 year old son doesn’t do quite as much cooking as the girls do, but he’s still very capable in the kitchen.
After they’ve made their mess in the kitchen, sometimes they’re not so good about cleaning up after themselves. I usually have to gently remind them that if they want to cook, they also have to clean up their mess. Then, sometimes I grumble that it would be so much easier if they’d just clean as they go. Of course, even though that is true, how do they know that they should clean as they go if they’re not taught to do so? Yes, they could learn by example, but let’s face it, kids just aren’t that observant. Sometimes, I’m not the best example anyway, unless I’m actively thinking about it. That’s why it’s so important to teach them these skills as they go. We are training our children to be adults. Nice, well educated, responsible and self sufficient adults. The kind of adults who can do laundry, clean and make dinner any time they need to. I do not want to send my children out of this home with books and notes on how to clean & cook rather than having had that hands on experience.
My friend Angie, at Many Little Blessings, has a story about that. As a child, her mom did all of the household chores. She never had to do laundry or cook. Once she grew up and got married, she felt totally incapable. She’s had to teach herself all these skills as she goes and now she’s making sure to teach them all to her children as well. That’s why she also decided to write an E-book to help all of us moms know where to begin when it comes to training our children! It’s called Training Your Children in Home Economics.
In the book, she walks you through the different areas of your home that are important to teach your children the skills they would need to know. Here are the categories that she covers:
- Money Management – Don’t you think all of America should relearn money management?
- Hospitality – This is a skill that our family really needs to work on. This section includes manners, too. Very important to know your manners when you have company over!
- Sewing Skills – You do know how to sew on a button don’t you? If not, start there…but there’s more to it than just buttons in this e-book. There’s templates, checklists and instruction.
- Gardening – She must’ve written this one for us, because we do not have a green thumb! She shares some great ideas on how to begin simply.
- Meal Planning – I love a week where all the meals have been planned! My kids do, too. Now they get to learn how to do the planning.
- Meal Preparation – There are some great ideas on how to build your kitchen repertoire along with checklists to help keep you on track.
- Kitchen Safety
- Food Safety – This is something I’ve never thought about teaching them, but oh so important.
- Microwave Safety – another one I never thought of.
- Laundry Skills – My kids do have some laundry skills, but there’s definitely some skills that they need improvement in (like getting those clothes into the dirty laundry basket!)
As you can see, there are many much needed skills covered in the book. I know I will refer to it often as we work through the areas that we have yet to cover. There are also some printables within the book to help you you along the way.
What Home Ec skills have you been working on with your kids?
P.S. She has 2 other e-books that are listed below:
