When you have children one of the important and valuable lessons to teach them is about food safety. Teaching them early about what is safe in handling food can set your child up for success as they grow up. Listed below are a few important things when teaching your child about food safety.
The first thing is to prioritize what exactly you want to teach your child. There are so many rules about food safety that you won’t be able to cover them all so just concentrate on the most important rules first. Start with foundational rules and build on them little by little from a very early age.
Next is to make learning fun for your child. Children learn best when they are having a blast and love playing games. Focus on the fun and make a game out of learning about food safety and your child will remember them throughout his or her life. Also, don’t scold your child for something he or she has done wrong.
Your child will not learn the lessons in that type of environment. If there is something your child hasn’t quite learned right then simply teach that lesson again and move on to the next one.
The best way to teach your child is to use real-life settings. An example is to bake with your child and point out the various food safety tips that are relevant to your activity. Do not bombard your child with food safety rules that don’t apply to your baking at the moment.
As you put ingredients and the finished product away just simply explain why you are doing that particular thing at the moment. Educate your child so that he or she will not believe the myths that circulate about food safety. Teach your child by example.
Your child will not learn as much if they see Mommy or Daddy not following the food safety rules told to them. Follow the rules you set for your child because they are always watching you, even when you are not expecting it. Finally, turn your food safety lessons into an event as a fun, and interactive, way to learn about food safety.
Children learn so much more when they can be a part of whatever you are planning to do. Plan a special dinner, or party, that your child can help prepare. Be sure to plan the food and talk about the dos and don’ts of preparation.
Once you allow your child to take part in the process they will remember the event and associate various concepts taught. The best part is he or she will have a great memory of spending time with one, or both, of their parents.
Food safety is such an important topic for everyone to learn that it is imperative we pass the proper techniques and rules down to our children. We want to raise our children who understand food safety to keep them safe and improve the lives of everyone around them.
