cooking with your little ones
Don’t Be Scared to Cook with Your Kids
No matter your child’s age, you can include him in your kitchen time even if it just reading the recipe aloud and showing pictures when he is a baby. As they get older, it will get messier but also more satisfying. There are many reasons why you should start cooking with your children when they are young and teaching a life skill that everyone should be taught is only one of them. Here’s a few more...
Social-Emotional Development:
Hands-on cooking with mom or dad instills confidence and pride in their abilities within them.
Learning how to follow a recipe or mom’s instructions helps reinforce following directions as well as problem solving.
Letting them take the lead on a recipe fosters independence and self-direction.
Strengthens the bond between the child and the parent.
Teaches cooperation and sharing.
Education:
Math skills such as counting, fractions, measuring and sequencing are introduced.
Talking about where different foods are grown and why helps teach geography and science.
Cooking increases their vocabulary and understanding of the words.
Sharing stories about how food was eaten in the past, how it has changed and about how people eat it in different parts of the world teaches history and cultural lessons.
Nutrition:
Preparing the food encourages them to become a more adventurous eater.
Helps them understand how to eat healthy by creating a well-balanced meal and portion control.
By cooking with seasonal vegetables and fruits, it teaches them where their food is grown and about farming.
Fine Motor Skills Development:
Give a child a whisk and let them go! Same with a spoon for stirring. Both helps to strengthen little hands.
Kneading bread is a great activity for the fingers and allover hands.
Teach them how to peel vegetables and fruits to increase range of motion and control.
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