Do you involve your kids in the
kitchen? I know I know… I've been there
too… There are so many reasons why we just do it ourselves. There’s not enough
time. They make such a mess. I’m too tired when I get home. It’s easier if I
just do it myself. The list goes on and on. On the other hand, however, there
are many awesome lessons kids learn from cooking and learning to clean up
afterwards is definitely one of them. With a little planning, some extra
patience and some enthusiasm, cooking with kids can be fun and rewarding for
both kids and parents.
So, you’re probably asking, “What
is it that kids learn from cooking, besides the obvious, how to cook or make a
mess?” (Side note: This is another thing I wish I had learned when my kids were
little.) The list of why you should involve kids with cooking is way longer
than the list of why we don’t. They learn about nutrition and healthy eating,
how heat and cold change things, concepts of volume and measure, vocabulary,
how to read and follow directions, how to try new foods, life skills, teamwork,
planning and fine motor skills. As if those
things aren’t enough, add to the list that it boosts their self esteem, creates
bonding family time, memories and it’s fun! They are enjoying it so much that
they don’t even realize how much they’re learning. That’s the beauty of it!
·
Nutrition - It is so important that kids learn
good nutrition and healthy eating. Fast
food and junk food is much too readily available today. It is everywhere we look and relentlessly advertised
on television. This is undoubtedly a
large part of why childhood obesity has been on the rise and has become a
serious topic of discussion in our schools, government and in the media. Kids are more likely to experiment with
unfamiliar foods if they’ve helped to prepare them. The only way to ensure that
your kids are eating healthy foods is to prepare them yourself. Involving them in the process will help
instill healthy habits that they will carry with them throughout their lives.
·
Science - How heat and cold change things, or
the physical properties of matter and changes in matter are just part of the
science lessons kids learn from cooking.
They also learn observation, measuring, and predicting. These are all skills necessary for the
countless science projects they will be doing in school.
·
Math – The list of math skills alone are
invaluable for children. They learn
basic skills like counting and sorting. The not so basic skills of measuring,
fractions, sequencing (following the recipe, what comes 1st, 2nd,
3rd) , weighing and
measuring, shapes, colors and problem solving (if something goes wrong.)
·
Literacy – Kids are expanding their vocabulary
through learning new words when they cook. They are improving their reading
skills and learning left to right progression, word and letter identification
and reading for information.
·
Life Skills – What a great investment of your
time to ensure that kids will know how to make dinner for the family when they
are teenagers. Teaching them when they
are young also ensures they will have the ability to prepare their own meals
when they are out on their own and not have to depend on fast food.
·
Teamwork – Teamwork in action is a beautiful
thing! Learning to Work together with
parents and or siblings to create something in the kitchen and get the job done
is a valuable lesson for kids to learn and take with them into adulthood.
·
Planning
– When you involve kids in the kitchen, they will learn about planning a menu,
make choices about various ingredients, how to plan their time, basic meal
preparation and the different stages of cooking.
·
Fine Motor Skills – Cooking helps kids develop
their fine motor skills and hand strength through chopping, whisking, kneading,
pouring, peeling and rolling. As an
added benefit, pouring helps to develop eye hand coordination.
The list of
benefits from involving kids in cooking goes on! Imagine the boost to their
self esteem when kids feel that they are accomplishing a task and contributing
to the family. I know I love it when a
recipe I make turns out great and my family compliments me on it. The memories you will make with your kids are
priceless as your bond with them is strengthened and you are having fun doing
it. These are memories they will take
with them as they grow and have families of their own to make memories
with.
It might be a
little messier and maybe take a little longer to get the meal to the table, but
when you change your perspective on involving kids in the kitchen by looking at
how much they actually learn, it is easy to see that the benefits far outweigh
the inconvenience. It’s no secret that
kids learn a lot from hands on experience. They have been pretending to cook in
dramatic play centers and pulling out the pots and pans in your kitchen at home. So as tempting as it may be to just do it
yourself, let them help! Involve them in what you are doing in the kitchen and
the learning that will take place in the process will be nothing short of
amazing.
Until Next time…..
Never
stop learning!
Ms.
Liz J
P. S. I am
excited that we have incorporated “Cool Cooking” into our program at our
child care center. Right now I am loving
the website Super Healthy Kids
They have a huge
collection of super healthy recipes, meal planning, printables, resources a gluten
free section and so much more. Check
them out for some super healthy options.
Also, check out
this article for more information on cooking with preschoolers.
http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/learning/cooking_preschool.html
