“How do I get my kids to WANT to cook?” parents often ask.
Here’s your answer! (And pro tip: it starts with US and our own wants…)
Learn more about the practical side of teaching kids to cook next week, register here.
Can’t see the video? Watch Motivation and Confidence in the Kitchen here on YouTube!
No time for the video? Here are the notes!
Motivation and Confidence in the Kitchen
- 0:10: Parents ask me all the time, “How do I get my kids to want to cook?” There are two aspects to this, our kid’s motivation and our mindset. Let’s get into this today on today’s Healthy Parenting Connector.
- 1:08: The long game is that when you launch a kid into the world if they know how to cook they will be leaps and bounds ahead of their peers and they will know how to nourish themselves and save money instead of eating out all the time.
- 3:35: Looking at the short game, wouldn’t it be nice to have competent kitchen helpers and allow your kids to experience some independence? For the past 4 years, I’ve had a weekly night off from cooking because we have “kid’s cooking night.”
- 5:35: It might be messy to get kids in the kitchen, and surely they will be slower than you, but it’s totally worth it!
Stay safe in the sun, with reef-safe sunscreens
Over the last decade+, I’ve personally tested over 120 natural mineral sunscreens, my standards are very high, and nothing I recommend is considered dangerous to coral reefs.
My top recommended tier with only around a dozen winners is where you really should be spending your time. These formulas are held to the highest standard with rigorous government testing.
Ingredients refined to perfection that most of the time you could practically eat and efficacy and performance tested by the Kimball family in the field.
Find all my reviews of safe sunscreen that works here!
If you’re looking for the best reef-safe sunscreen, simply start there. Here’s a list of some of my ultimate favorites.
- Kลkua Suncare with tons of antioxidants and my kids’ favorite scent and application
- 3rd Rock Essentials rubs in well and reliably prevents burns in our tests (use the code KITCHENSTEW for 20% off!)
- Raw Elements for so many reasons, including their tinted stick for adult faces (all styles, use KS10 for 10% off!)
- Maelove, which I call the best “transition” sunscreen when moving away from chemical ‘screens
- Others that make the top-recommended cut: Badger, ThinkBaby, Kabana
If you’re worried about the white cast on your skin from zinc oxide sunscreen, check out my video on how to apply mineral sunscreen correctly to minimize it.
- 6:15: We can use the benefits I mentioned to motivate our kids. When they see that they have real skills and can take care of themselves or someone else their confidence blossoms. Once your kids get a taste of this the “competence/confidence loop” will take over.
- 7:20: The best way to get kids motivated is to ask for their help when you’re feeding someone outside your family. This provides ample opportunities for real compliments and encouragement to your child which increases confidence.
- 8:30: Not all kids are the same, for younger kids (under 8) using “older kid” skills like using knives or the stove can boost motivation.
- 9:30: My older kids like that if they cook, they get to choose what they make. Teenagers like to make their own choices. You cook, you choose.
- 11:55: On November 10th I have a webinar coming up that will give you even more tips like these!
Resources We Mention for Teaching Kids to Cook
- Register for my free webinar Beyond Baking Cookies
- The Kids Cook Real Food™ course
- More on fostering genuine confidence in kids
What You Should Do Next:
1. Subscribe to the Healthy Parenting Handbook Newsletter
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2. Try a Free Preview of My Cooking Class for Kids
Our members’ favorite lesson is always our 10-minute knife skills and safety class, teaching techniques with unique & memorable phrases from butter knives to chef’s knives (ages 2-teen). Take a peek here and try it out with your kids.
3. Enroll in the Online Cooking Course for Kids:
Enroll now in the Wall Street Journal’s #1 recommended online cooking class for kids (also rated 5 stars on Facebook). See what fits your family best HERE.
About Katie Kimball
Katie Kimball, CSME, creator of Kids Cook Real Food™ and CEO of Kitchen Stewardshipยฎ, LLC, is passionate about connecting families around healthy food. As a trusted educator and author of 8 real food cookbooks, sheโs been featured on media outlets like ABC, NBC and First for Women magazine and contributes periodically on the FOX Network.
Since 2009, busy moms have looked to Katie as a trusted authority and advocate for childrenโs health, and she often partners with health experts and medical practitioners to stay on the cutting edge. In 2016 she created the Wall Street Journal recommended best online kids cooking course, Kids Cook Real Food™, helping thousands of families around the world learn to cook. She is actively masterminding the Kids’ Meal Revolution, with a goal of every child learning to cook.
A mom of 4 kids from Michigan, she is also a Certified Stress Mastery Educator, member of the American Institute of Stress and trained speaker through Bo Easonโs Personal Story Power.