Cooking Fun for Kids of God

Mom doesn’t have to do all the cooking in the kitchen. Everyone can share the load and be happy about it. If it’s one thing that kids know, it’s fun. When an activity is fun, they will come back time and time again to do it. Here are tips for wholesome fun in the kitchen.

Let Kids into the Kitchen

When you let kids into the kitchen, not only do they find out that they can prepare a family meal, but you are also teaching them lifelong skills that they can take with them once they are out on their own. So, what are you waiting for? Give them an apron and get to work.

Make Aprons

This can be the first fun thing to do. Purchase plain aprons from the craft store along with some decorating supplies. Let each kid design their own apron for use in the kitchen. I participated in this activity on a women’s retreat and enjoyed it. Kids will like it even more.

The Basics of Cooking

What shall we cook? Kids need to know the basics of cooking. Show them how to be safe in the kitchen, how to measure, and how to use the stove. I didn’t mention microwave because most kids have already used one from an early age. It’s the nature of our society - so much to do and so little time.

Healthy Snacks For Kids

Kids have trouble with healthy snacks. Some like them and some don’t. So, let them come up with their own healthy snack recipes using specific ingredients. You decide on the ingredients and set the rules. See what they can do.

After they have mastered snacks, move on to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Before you know it, they will want to prepare a meal all the time. Until then, keep encouraging them and telling them about foods. Being healthy is a part of a rounded spiritual life. We must take care of ourselves so that we can take care of others properly.

Traditional Biblical Food

For some Biblical fun with cooking, let kids try their hand at preparing traditional meals like in the Bible. Food tasted differently then and they can experience that for themselves. They can sample various fruits and vegetables from other parts of the world. Cooking introduces kids to new tastes, smells, and cooking methods.

The kitchen is the favorite part of many homes. It is where families gather most to share their joys, tears, and laughs over a good meal. Why not let the kids prepare that meal tonight and have a little good family togetherness and fun in the process.

Online Christian Kids Games

We live in the age of technology. There is not a home that doesn’t have some form of gadget that brings the outside world into our home. If your kids are Internet savvy, turn them onto online games that are affiliated with the Christian lifestyle.

If you have a television, then you have technology in your home. Most people have more than that, but every home has something. When kids are learning about the Internet and playing games, choose some Christian sites to introduce them to. They’ll soon learn that the word “Christian” doesn’t mean stuffy or boring.

One such site is called Kid Explorers. Kids find a lot of things to do including mazes, puzzles, online space games, Bible trivia, and more. Kids can find lots of things to do here making it a great choice.

I did an online word search there. It was great to not have to use a pencil and print it out. Two days from now, that paper would be stuffed under the couch or thrown in the trash. Online games save paper and trees!

Kids can learn to use the Internet for other things besides surfing sites they shouldn’t be on and getting into trouble. Sites like this one also teach about science, animals, and the like which are subjects that all kids are interested in at one time or another. They’ll learn interesting facts that they can share with their friends.

Interactive games are also popular with kids. The game that is most popular now is the Wii. There are also Christian interactive games like Game Wave that can be played with several people with the use of remote controls. Play trivia and other fun games. While you are playing, kids learn coordination, Bible facts, values and principles, and useful life skills.

The Wii is also a great system but parents have to be willing to help kids choose appropriate games to play. The new Wii Fit lets everyone get moving while they play. Kids don’t get nearly enough exercise and this game system helps to mesh two things into one healthy kid.

Any game that they play doesn’t have to say “Christian” to be used for wholesome fun. Christian values are those that are exemplified by God. Getting healthy and learning about life are godly principles, too. Our kids can benefit from a myriad of activities and games, both online and off.

Christianity Crafts Ideas

Crafting is so simple and can be done by anyone. The crafts can be adjusted to age and skill level so that young kids benefit as much as their older counterparts. You can buy crafting materials from the store, use items around the house, or the best idea, a combination of the two.

Have you ever noticed that they sell things like paper towel rolls and Popsicle sticks in the craft store? My mom used to wash the sticks after we ate our Popsicles and store them until we wanted to use them. I save the paper towel and toilet paper rolls as well as empty cartons and plastic jugs for crafts for the kids. There is no need to buy the things that you can find in your own kitchen and bathroom.

Paints, crayons, markers, scissors, and construction paper are the things I go to the craft store for. Your computer and printer are also useful in making crafts. Many websites have free designs and coloring pages that can be printed off to make crafts.

Some of the simplest crafts are puppets. Hand puppets can be made out of old socks or pieces of felt glued together. Kids can decorate the puppets to resemble Bible characters. Cotton balls make great beards and white hair. Pieces of yarn are turned into hair. Puppets can be used in skits, role playing activities, or just to display.

Instead of buying holiday cards, let the kids create their own to give to friends, teachers, and relatives. It is the thought that counts and they can pack a lot of decorative thought into a special occasion card. Proudly display the handcrafted cards that they make for the family so everyone can see them and enjoy.

Origami is the ancient Japanese art of paper folding. When I was little we used to make paper airplanes, but this is definitely a step above. The origami patterns can be printed off the computer and the children can decorate them before folding.

Choose patterns that correspond to different themes. The kids can create an ark full of animals along with Noah and his family. Their work can be displayed in their homes or at church as Sunday school projects. Origami is fun and all kids can be taught to do it with a little patience.

What types of crafts interest your kids? Whether its painting, paper crafts, working with blocks, flowers, or Popsicle sticks, they can use it as a Biblical learning experience.