12 food skills your child needs by the age of 12
What kitchen skills should your kids have by the age of 12 to create a lifetime of healthy eating habits? It might surprise you.
Food & Wine
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Children under 12 should understand food labels, know what’s in season and cook with a “rainbow” of foods.
They’re just some of the skills that have been identified as necessary for healthier lifetime eating habits, as part of a new campaign called ‘12 before 12’.
The list has been developed by Adelaide accredited practising dietitian Themis Chryssidis and MasterChef star and cook Callum Hann, both of Sprout cooking school, along with Sanitarium Health Food Company. It forms the basis of a child-friendly, free digital cookbook for families.
“It’s based on a lot of our experience working with children over the past 12 years, identifying what’s important not just from the perspective of the kitchen but also the things you need to do before you get into the kitchen – that planning phase,” Mr Chryssidis said.
“It’s so much more about the ‘how’, not just the ‘what’. So many cookbooks will tell you the recipe, but they don’t provide you with the context.
“This is designed to empower parents to let their kids loose in the kitchen – allow them to make a bit of mess but also feel comfortable in the kitchen environment.”
The 12 before 12 is grouped into four key areas: shopping, prepping, cooking and eating.
Siblings Alannah and Joshua Edwards get involved in choosing what the family will eat, and enjoy grocery shopping together.
“When we cook as a family it’s fun because we get to mix all different foods using all different tools from the kitchen,” said Alannah, 8. “One of my important jobs is to always set the table, too.”
Shane Landon, accredited practising dietitian at Sanitarium, said healthy food habits established during childhood play an important role in lifetime health.
“One of the key ways to a healthier diet is having the practical skills to make it happen,” he said.
Download the book at 12before12.sanitarium.com.au