Money-Saving Activities During COVID-19: Cooking From Home

    As many find themselves home for hours more each week than ever before, food preparation moves into the limelight in more and more houses across the country. When trying to feed a family on a budget, the result can be a lot of stress, a mess to clean up, and children who learned nothing but frustration. There are ways to handle kid-time in the kitchen, and there is a multitude of helpful websites to help every step of the way, from making a shopping list to cleaning up the meal that was just devoured. Encourage children to take a role in meal prep and as they grow, they will develop a love of cooking. Each age group can focus on a set of skills that helps them play an active role in feeding the family and cuts down on boredom while also allowing them to feel some pride and accomplishment.

    Ages 3-5: Pint-Size Helpers

    At this stage of toddler-hood, children exert their independence and want to dive head-first into the world around them. Three, four, and five-year-olds have short attention spans and very little awareness of danger (think sharp knives or hot pans) and therefore, they cannot handle a lot of kitchen tasks; however, by getting them involved at a young age, they will learn quickly and many parents are surprised by just how much help their preschooler can be. The toddler age is a great time to have them wash produce, mash potatoes, tear lettuce, smash crackers, or knead dough.

    Ages 5-7: Grade-School Sous Chefs

    Children in early elementary school learn many skills that can be put to great use in the kitchen. They are now able to use scissors and have improved other fine motor skills. These increased skills mean they can take a more active role in meal prep for the family. There are some learning opportunities as well. Children can help set the table and learn about proper place settings or measure and count items as a math lesson on multiplication and fractions. They can practice reading by following along with simple recipes and reading each step. At this age, kids can also mix dry ingredients, crack eggs, roll cookie dough or meat, and chop softer fruits and veggies.

    Ages 8-12: Budding Cooks

    As preteens establish their own opinions and ideas, there is no doubt they will have some thoughts regarding their favorite or least-favorite foods. This is an excellent opportunity to teach them greater independence by allowing them to make simple recipes on their own. They can peel veggies, make sandwiches, do the dishes, put up groceries, and make cookies or brownies on their own. With supervision, they can really step up and do even more than this.

    Ages 13 & Up: Young Chefs

    Teens can learn to do pretty much anything they want in the kitchen, but is it essential to make sure they first know proper food handling and other safety techniques. They should know which pots and pans can go in the oven, how to handle raw meat, and how to use sharp knives safely. They can make recipes on the stovetop, bake cookies with friends, make waffles, press garlic, or learn to use various kitchen appliances like blenders and food processors. Teens should also be taught how to clean the kitchen, and they can even be put in charge of dinner one night a week.

    • 25 Recipes for Teens: Let the teens choose from these 25 recipes they can cook with basic kitchen and safety knowledge.
    • 13 Meals Teens Can Cook: Let the teens cook once a week and they can use this list of meal ideas to get them started.

    Additional Cooking Resources for All Ages

    Money-Saving Resources for Cooking and Food Buying

    about the author

    Clay Cary
    E-commerce Analyst
    As an e-commerce analyst at CouponFollow, Clay enjoys spending his time collaborating with brands to make helpful content for consumers and finding great deals to share on CouponFollow. As a recent college graduate, his primary focus is creating resources for consumers, especially students, to save money through online shopping and everyday life.