Food for Families

Correct measurements are an integral part of the baking process.

Not only will this help you bake a moist muffin, you’ll also be learning some important math skills.

Since both of my girls love to help me bake, we’ve been learning about making those correct measurements.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Measurement Basics:

There are three basic measuring devices. nesting measuring cups for dry ingredients. Glass measuring cups for wet ingredients and measuring spoons. If you live and bake outside the US, you’ll also use a kitchen scale for measurements. I keep all three types of measurement devices in my kitchen.

We’ve learned the basics of what device to use and when to use it.

I’ve also taught the girls to spoon their dry ingredients into the measuring cup and how to level it off.

We’ve learned how to pour liquids into the measuring cup while watching the lines on the cup.

We’ve practiced measuring and pouring many time although neither girl has mastered this step. Yet, we keep trying.

Ways to Practice and Play: The easiest and most obvious way to practice is by baking together. Muffins are always a good, basic recipe. In these pictures, we were baking yummy banana chocolate chip muffins from Weelicious. We’ve also baked Swedish Almond Bread and basic scones. Relax a bit while working with your kids. Yes, measuring is essential, but allow the kids to have some control. Allow some baking times to be about the process; your muffins don’t have to come out perfect every time!

Water play. Allow your kids to experiment with the measuring devices by using water. Set out a bowl of water and several measuring cups and spoons. Let your kids pour and spoon as much as they want. Even toddlers can get in on the fun this way. Older kids can start learning about the different measurements. Ask them to measure half a cup or a quarter cup. How many quarters does it take to make a cup?

Measuring rice. Try measuring dried rice with your cups and spoons. Practice leveling off your dry ingredients. Have your kids measure specific quantities. Again, your toddlers can get in on the fun. There’s no need to try and teach them how to measure. Just let them get the feel of pouring and scooping.

We’ve now learned some basic kitchen safety, knife skills, and basic measuring. Next up, we’ll start talking about nutrition and healthy eating.

What are your best tips for cooking with kids?

In my first “In the Kitchen” post, I talked about the basic rules I taught my girls before letting them help in the kitchen.

Today, I’m going to share a bit about knives. Yes, I know that one of the rules is not to touch sharp knives.

We have a set of knives that I use all the time that are very, very sharp, so sharp that I’ve cut a chunk off the tip of my finger. These are not knives that kids should be touching.

Nonetheless, I wanted to teach the girls how to properly use a knife.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Before we’ve ever used a knife in the kitchen, the girls have practiced cutting with items from their play kitchen.

We have this Melissa & Doug Cutting Food box. The girls have spent a lot of time playing with this set. (I would highly recommend this if you’re looking for a gift for a preschool age kid.)

We’ve also practiced our cutting with play dough. Roll a snake shape with your play dough and have our kids practice cutting. We use plastic knives from our kitchen set with this.

This is the perfect time to show them how to hold a knife, the correct way to cut, and how to keep your fingers curled under so you won’t cut yourself. You can relax knowing there won’t be any injuries while using these toy knives.

Once I felt more comfortable, we moved on to the kitchen.

I allow the girls to cut using the butter knives from our silverware set. They’re sharp enough to cut soft food, but not sharp enough to cause much injury.

These knives can still cause injury, so please exercise caution and provide proper supervision while your child is cutting.

Have them hold on to the knife’s handle with the hand that they normally write with. They can hold on to the food with the other hand. Teach them to tuck their fingers in when holding on to the food, so instead of cutting a finger, the knife will just brush against their knuckles.

Some of the foods I allow the girls to cut are avocados, bananas, and other soft fruits and vegetables.

Now that the girls are able to use a knife, they’re able to make one of their favorite snack foods, guacamole. Here’s my recipe for a super-easy kid-friendly guacamole.

Kid-Friendly Guacamole

2-3 avocados
1 tsp salt
dash of hot sauce (to taste)

Peel and cut the avocados. Use a fork (or potato masher) to mash the avocados. We find it easier to put the avocados in a wide, shallow bowl for mashing. While mashing, add the salt to taste. We like salty guacamole, so use more or less salt according to your tastes. Once it’s mashed, add your hot sauce. This can be omitted if you don’t like spicy food.

Spread on tortillas, use chips to dip, or even raw veggies. It’s a great, healthy snack!

Do you let your kids use knives in the kitchen?