Making meals is a big part of parenthood — whether you love being the chef or you’re just trying to keep your family fed.
When kids get involved with meal prep, it can make things a whole lot messier and take way more time — but it also has big benefits in terms of life skills.
It teaches kids about planning and patience
Cooking or baking is somewhere between an art and a science — there’s room for creative chaos, but there are also ordered rules to be followed.
For kids to fully appreciate how much work goes into mealtime, they should be part of every step:
- choosing a recipe
- searching the fridge and pantry for ingredients
- making the list for grocery shopping
- washing and chopping and mixing the items in the right order
- watching you set the stove
Your kids will understand the importance of logical planning, along with patience and delayed gratification (after all that work, they’ll still have to wait for those muffins to bake and cool).
It introduces concepts related to science and math
Cooking and baking offer easy opportunities to compare fractions or convert measurements, whether it’s reinforcing a ½ cup is twice the size of a ¼ cup, or that one tablespoon is the same as three teaspoons.
Depending on the recipe, there may also be multiplication or division.
The kitchen also offers lots of basic science lessons when it comes to chemistry. Discuss why baking powder makes things rise or why we need hot temperatures in the oven to cook.
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It is a great way to learn about nutrition
"When kids are involved in meal and snack preparation, they learn about the importance and value of eating whole foods (instead of processed foods) and preparing their food from scratch," says Sarah Remmer,a Calgary dietitian and nutrition blogger.
It also gives kids the knowledge and tools they need to feel confident preparing nutritious food for themselves in the future.
When kids get up close and personal with their food, they start learning about variety and balance in their food choices. They also grow their palate and creativity by exploring different flavour combinations.
Plus, cooking and baking show kids the building blocks of their favourite recipes. Seeing raw ingredients transformed into something new can be mind-blowing. This is an important lesson for kids with food allergies — it reminds them that they can’t always see the peanuts, so they need to ask.
It reinforces important lessons about staying safe
Kitchens can be full of dangers — sharp objects, heavy pots, very hot surfaces. It's key to have safety talks before andduringtime in the kitchen with kids.
Parents will have their own rules for what kids can and can't do in the kitchen. What do you feel comfortable with?
As kids get older and more comfortable in the kitchen, they can start using the oven, stove and sharp knives with supervision.
The kitchen is a great place to teach kids about hygiene too — how to wash hands and properly handle certain ingredients, like raw eggs.
It’s a great way for families to bond
For many busy families, getting kids involved with cooking starts out as a necessity and then becomes a treasured bonding activity — whether it’s passing down old family recipes or creating new ones.
FAQs
Cooking can help young kids learn and practice some basic math concepts and build language skills. And reating meals with you can help build their self-confidence and lay the foundation for healthy eating habits.
What are children learning when cooking? ›
Cooking can help young kids learn and practice some basic math concepts and build language skills. And reating meals with you can help build their self-confidence and lay the foundation for healthy eating habits.
What are the life lessons learned from cooking? ›
Or it can turn quickly into a life lesson, keeping you humble with lots of opportunities to learn about loss, imperfection, acceptance, perseverance, grief, willingness and ultimately a simple forgiveness that leaves you with a choice to either throw in the dishtowel or try, try again.
Why is cooking an important life skill for kids? ›
It not only provides you with quiet moments to bond with your youngster but also offers myriad other benefits, including boosting confidence, teaching math and science, and imparts wisdom on other cultures. Cooking together provides quality family time: Cooking time is a bonding time for parent and child.
What are the 5 benefits of learning how do you cook? ›
Here's why:
- Home cooked food simply tastes better and you're in control of the ingredients. ...
- Your mama won't always be here. ...
- Cooking is not as difficult as people think it is. ...
- You can prepare for your future. ...
- Cooking can be really fun, not to mention great therapy. ...
- You'll save money. ...
- Cooking gets our creative juices flowing.
Social skills: Cooking together uncovers the importance of being responsible, working together, sharing, completing a task and feeling confident. Physical development: Preparing food develops fine motor skills through cracking eggs, chopping, stirring, pouring and cutting.
Why is learning cooking skills important? ›
One of the most valuable aspects of a cooking education is its ability to increase your autonomy and self-esteem. Learning about how to cook can help you discover traits and qualities about yourself, as well as expand your knowledge on your favorite dishes.
How is cooking a life skill? ›
All in all, cooking is an incredibly important skill to have. It can make you more independent, and on top of cutting down your weekly costs on food, it can allow you to cook more of what you actually want to eat instead of what's just lying around. It's truly a skill everyone should seek to learn and hone.
What kind of life skill is cooking? ›
There are many life skills required and developed by planning, organizing, purchasing food, and preparing snacks & meals which are part of cooking. In addition, there are many learning outcomes such as; healthy eating habits, taking direction, creativity, working with others, safety and responsibility.
Is learning how do you cook a life skill? ›
In my opinion, the ability to cook is a lifetime skill that everyone should have – it is not specific to boys or girls, but every boy has to learn how to cook. First of all, people should not forget the basic need of cooking, since if they can cook, they don't need to have any fear of going hungry.
Lets see how cooking can be beneficial to an individual: Proper planning and preparation skills: When we effectively plan and prepare what to cook for ourselves, incidentally we also start the value of planning and preparing in our workspaces and other spheres of life. We focus better on the things that really matter.
What are cooking skills? ›
Cooking skills have been referred to as the ability to perform tasks related to the preparation of food, which requires preliminary procedures to its cooking, such as washing, peeling, and chopping [ 1.
When should kids learn to cook? ›
8- to 11-Year-Old Cooks
Kids at this age can follow simple, straightforward recipes, plan menus and meals, and begin to work with the stove or oven. Use this time to teach them about the dangers of equipment and utensils.
Why is cooking important in human life? ›
By cooking for yourself, you can ensure that you and your family eat fresh, wholesome meals. This can help you to look and feel healthier, boost your energy, stabilize your weight and mood, and improve your sleep and resilience to stress. It can also help you to save money.
Is cooking good for mental health? ›
According to the counselors who spoke to the WSJ, cooking can help "soothe stress, build self-esteem and curb negative thinking by focusing the mind on following a recipe."
What are the benefits of cooking and baking with children? ›
When cooking, children observe changes in food ingredients. They learn about actions and consequences. They learn about temperature, floating, melting, freezing and (sometimes) burning. They learn and practice math skills through fractions, measuring, doubling recipes and contemplating quantities.
What is the first thing you learn in cooking school? ›
This is why knife skills are among the first things taught in culinary school. You'll first learn how to hold a knife, where to grip it (most beginner cooks grip a knife too far back on the handle) and where to hold your guide hand. You'll master the “rolling technique” for cutting veggies and herbs.
How is cooking a learned behavior? ›
By helping to prepare meals, kids learn to observe, measure, analyze, and make predictions. Cooking brings abstract concepts such as the role of temperature and properties of matter vividly to life as ingredients transform when broccoli steams, butter melts, and batters rise and bake.
