AD⎜Getting Families In The Kitchen With Danone

*Disclosure – AD. This is a paid collaboration.

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Both my husband and I enjoy cooking and we have always encouraged our boys to get involved in the kitchen too. So when we were asked to partner up with Danone yogurt and their Cookalong For Families series, we couldn’t wait to get started.

What is Cookalong For Families?

Cookalong For Families was launched by Danone yogurts. It is a series of short videos every Wednesday at 4pm featuring healthy cookalong recipes for the family to cook together.
You can find Frankie Bridge (from The Saturday’s), Fiona Connor, Hannah Michalak and Laura Jackson hosting Cookalong For Families over on the Danone Yogurt UK & Ireland YouTube channel.

What’s even more fab is that for every view, Danone will give £1 (up to £60,000) to the charity Family Action who support vulnerable families in the UK.

Joben made cookies with me just the other day so Jayden opted to help dad make some tasty vegan falafels and a homemade Danone yogurt dressing to finish.

I do love the enthusiasm that my boys have for cooking and baking. There are so many benefits to getting children involved with cooking.

• Improves reading skills
• Encourages problem-solving
• Teaches life skills
• Widens math abilities
• Aids fine motor skills
• Generates interest in different foods

Cooking can also bring the family together, giving plenty of opportunities to bond with each other. You can often hear giggles from the kitchen when our kids are helping out. Whether one of them has taken a cheeky taste of the mixture or someone ends up with cream on their nose! They get up to all kinds of antics but most importantly, they are learning a variety of skills and having lots of fun whilst they do so.

I appreciate that not all children love cooking but there are so many ways to make it as fun and enjoyable as possible.

• Get the kids involved with meal planning
• Do an online order/ food shop and let the kids help with finding the ingredients
• Have themed meals such as Italian, Spanish or Mexican and learn about the cultures in different countries
• Let little ones set the table
• See what creative ideas they can come up with when dressing the plates
• Allow them to try using different utensils and tools. Obviously their age and capabilities will determine what utensils they can use safely. My eldest is 10 and he can use a sharp knife confidently, but my youngest uses infants utensils.

We might love cooking in the kitchen, but the best bit is to eat it all up!  If you fancy joining in, then tune into Cookalong 4 Families with Fiona Connor on Wednesday 8th July at 4pm on the Danone Yogurt UK and Ireland Youtube Channel. She will be cooking her favourite healthy snacks, perfect for a homeschool treat whilst having loads of fun. Keep an eye out on @whatfionaeats page for the ingredients you’ll need for this week’s cookalong.

What do your children/grandchildren love to cook?