Similar to sandwich night or pizza night, make-your-own meal night is a great tradition parents can establish when kids are old enough to prepare their own meals in the kitchen. Having the kids make their own dinner has many benefits. It teaches them how to cook and be safe in the kitchen. It teaches them how to be independent. And also, it gives them self-confidence.
Establishing a make-your-own night also has obvious benefits for the parents. Firstly, it gives them a chance to take a break from cooking a large meal. It also gives parents the opportunity to eat something a little different than the usual fare—something mom or dad would like to try without the kids complaining about the strange, new food—while the younger folks in the family are eating what they want.
Make-Your-Own Meal Night – Getting Started
First of all, families can choose a consistent evening that works for everyone. Select a day in the middle of the week when the cook would like a break, a weekend night, or an evening when there are no soccer games or after school activities on the agenda. Alternatively, families may want to play it by ear and have make-your-own meal night on different nights depending on what works for them each week.
Then, make sure that there are simple ingredients available in the pantry and refrigerator for the kids to use to make their own dinner. At first, parents might want to give them some ideas to get started preparing/cooking a healthy and nutritious meal that they will enjoy. Perhaps parents might want to establish a pre-selected set of meals that kids can choose from, like a menu.
If this is the first time that the kids are using cooking utensils and appliances, show them the proper methods of use, and set ground rules in the kitchen. Show them the safe way of handling food, using a knife, and using the stove, microwave and toaster properly so that they don’t get hurt. If there is one available, enroll the children in a kids’ cooking class so that they can learn about safety.
Cooking safely and eating healthy are just two of the three important tasks ahead for the kids on make-your-own night. It is also important to train the kids to clean up after themselves when they are done. Make sure they are rinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, or washing them and wiping down surfaces with hot (but not too hot) soap/water. Teach them how to wash sharp objects carefully, with edges turned out.
Kids’ Make-Your-Own Menu Ideas
Establishing a make-your-own menu is a good idea for kids who are a little bit younger and new to the world of cooking. Tweens, for example, can certainly benefit from having a list to help them get started. Offer a set of meal items that are easy to make at first, and then add choices that test their skills in the kitchen later. For example, try cereal, peanut butter & jelly, prepared salad or cold cuts at the beginning.
Then over the weeks that follow, add some warm choices to the menu, such as waffles, hot dogs, Ramen noodles, canned soups, macaroni and cheese, and English muffin pizzas. Once the kids are familiar with what’s available to them for ingredients, they will have their favorites and become completely independent. They may even begin experimenting with new ideas. Just make sure that you keep an eye on their efforts so that they stay safe.
When the kids have been doing this for a while, they may even want to follow a recipe. Teach them how to plan ahead—when make-your-own meal night approaches, have them decide on a meal they want to make and take them to the store to get the necessary ingredients. Maybe parents can eventually convince them to prepare a meal for the entire family!
Karen Plumley - Karen Plumley is a writer specializing in parenting and education. She works for Parenting NH and the Hippo, NH's most widely read ...
