Prepare food
Hot surfaces, sharp knives and splatter from the pan all ask for calm movements, exactly when several things demand attention at once. The steps below give the hands one task at a time.
♂Cooking food
An illustration of a man wearing a chef's hat and apron, stirring food in a frying pan on a stove.
♂Cook food
A man in a chef's hat and apron frying food in a pan on a stove.
♂Cook food
A man in a chef's hat and apron stirring food in a pot on a stove. There is a tomato and pepper on a cutting board next to the stove.
♀Cook food
A woman in an apron stirring food in a pot on a stove. There is a carrot and mushroom next to the stove.
♀Cook food
A woman in an apron stirring food in a pot on a stove.
♀Cook food
A woman in an apron stirring food in a pot on a stove.
About this visual support
The physical side of preparing food is easy to underestimate. Slicing an onion thinly, pouring from a hot saucepan, turning sausages without burning yourself, all of it asks for control in fingers and shoulders. Add the fact that the stove is on at the same time, and the demand on attention grows quickly.
Visual support for preparing food helps by separating planning from doing. When the child knows that the next step is pouring pasta into boiling water, they do not also have to remember what comes after it. Their full energy can go into the action itself, which makes the movement safer.
Concrete tip: place a picture for each tool just before the step where it is used, so the child has time to fetch it calmly. Spoon before stirring, oven glove before opening the oven door. In the Routined app, you can pin the cards in the order you normally work, so your routine matches the child's visual support and you move in the same direction through the kitchen.