Cooking engages all the senses while introducing language, math, and science skills.  An enormous amount of listening and learning takes place while preparing food, cooking, and cleaning up. Not only is it a great way to spend quality time together and have fun but by sparking our kids’ imaginations with cooking, we can encourage them to be aware of what they eat and make healthier habits that’ll last a lifetime.

5 benefits of cooking with kids:

• Provides quality family time
• Encourages communication
• Encourages healthy eating habits
• Builds basic academic skills
• Supports confidence and self-esteem.

Quick Tips for making kitchen time successful:

Start small: Keep it simple! Try asking them to help stir, pour, or even grab bowls/dishes that you’ll be using when cooking. Just find simple ways to get them involved.

Prep ingredients ahead of time: Whether that’s pre-measuring or chopping up ingredients, having things ready to mix together will help keep kids stay engaged longer and support a better overall experience for everyone!

Have no expectations: Just anticipate a mess and know that things might not go according to plan. And that’s ok, we learn through mistakes and it’s also part of the fun!

Embrace the mess in the moment: Remember, it’s all part of the fun and making memories, and you can always clean up together after. 

Here are some of the activities very young children will enjoy:

• Washing vegetables – this is a great way of teaching them the names of vegetables and peak curiosity which will hopefully encourage them to try different foods
• Stirring ingredients – they should be at room temperature
• Mashing with a fork or potato masher – again watch out for temperature
• Sprinkling – flour, cake decorations and icing sugar, put a tray underneath to help with the mess
• Spooning ingredients – you might need to help!
• Another way to keep young children occupied is to give them plastic containers and utensils to wash in the sink – this can provide lengthy entertainment while you cook.

Cooking with your child can be FUN! Enjoying each other’s company, being silly together, and encouraging each other are all part of the process. Spending time in the kitchen together is a wonderful way to connect and fill up you and your child’s emotional cup. And that is the best reason for cooking with your little one!