Should my 5-year-old boy attend a cooking class?

[Fiona2011231]

Does anyone have any experience with those cooking classes for kids aged from 3 to 11?

My child is fussy when it comes to eating. Does it help if he attends a cooking class? Will he love the food more?

Thank you

[lozking91]

Basically I think if he's interested and it's fun then it will help. If he doesn't want to then it will hinder.
Does he like getting his hands dirty and enjoys practical art/craft activities. He'd probably enjoy it and benefit if that's the case.

If it helps I was an extremely fussy eater growing up but loved helping out in the kitchen. As I've got older my tastes have expanded and I think of food as a hobby. I'm even considering it as a career :)

[Goldmandra]

I would say it's fine if he enjoys it and he isn't aware that there is a hidden agenda. If he realises it is about getting him to eat a more varied diet he will just feel under pressure and that isn't a recipe for success.

[cantmakecarrotcake]

My 3 yr old DD goes to the occasional cooking class with my DH. She's a fussy eater too and it does expose her to more foods and she loves cooking/baking even if she won't eat the final product. They try some of the ingredients or a new and interesting food as part of the class.

I think the trick is not to put any pressure on your DS to try stuff or even eat what he's made. But I definitely think it's a good experience. Try it and see if he takes to it.

[yukiskitchen]

I would say go for it! It will help him to have fun and associate this with different dishes.... I teach Japanese cooking classes to kids and have regularly (most school holidays) taught a sushi class to kids as young as 5 years old - using cucumber, tuna and sweetcorn.
I think being around other kids who are cooking and seeing them taste/enjoying the food will give him a lot of confidence.