Children learn by touching, tasting, feeling, smelling, and listening. They love to help prepare food and cook because they can engage all their senses. Whether we like it or not, cooking is an everyday part of life. As a parent, cooking can sometimes feel like just another spin on the hamster wheel of a long list of daily chores. But it doesn’t have to be! There are many benefits to bringing your little ones, and some creativity, into the kitchen while also strengthening your relationship with them.

• Builds Confidence: It is no surprise that children love being given choices. Kids generally have little say over their environment, so choosing what they can eat or make in the kitchen can be incredibly empowering. “Do you want to help put blueberries or bananas on your pancakes?”
• Healthy Choices: Kids like what they like and what they are familiar with. It can be challenging to get little ones to try new things and be adventurous with their food choices. When kids are part of the preparations (i.e. cutting fruit, mixing, pouring ingredients etc.) they are much more likely to want to try what they have helped to create.
• Exploring Through Senses: Children love to explore the world using their senses; cooking is a great opportunity to experience the sense of sight, touch, smell, sound, and taste. It’s a great way to engage all of their senses, as well as teaching them a lifelong skill at the same time! While cooking together, ask your child questions to help them stay interested. Ask them to tell you what colors they see, how the ingredients feel, look, and smell, or talk about where the ingredients come from.
• Math and Language Development: Following a recipe with your child is a wonderful opportunity to talk about math, encourage language and build vocabulary. “If I need three eggs, but I only have two, how many more eggs do I need?” or “will you count out 6 strawberries for me?” 
• Have Fun: Spending time together creating a meal can pave the way for connection and creating lifelong memories. It doesn’t have to complicated, so keep it simple and follow your child’s lead whenever possible. Let them help clean up, make cooking and clean-up fun with creativity, and remember it doesn’t have to look perfect.

Breakfast is generally a good time to spend time together cooking. Everyone is hungry and fresh from sleep! Try this simple two-ingredient pancake recipe. It’s just eggs and bananas. It’s no problem if they’re lumpy and they always turn out delicious! 

Recipe for Two-Ingredient Pancakes

• 1 ripe banana, with spots on the skin
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (optional; to help with fluffiness)

Use a fork to mash the banana until relatively smooth.

Add the mashed banana to a bowl with 2 eggs and optional ½ teaspoon of baking powder (and even cinnamon). Mix well with a fork or small whisk, until you can’t see clumps of baking powder anymore.

Pour about 3 tablespoons of the batter into a lightly greased skillet. This amount keeps them easy to flip. Cook on low heat for about 3-4 minutes per side. The first pancake usually takes the longest to cook, and then they cook faster after that. Makes about six pancakes.

Another fun recipe to try are simple fruit skewers and yogurt dip. Kids love to eat fruit off a stick and making these is a great opportunity for your little one to practice mastering their fine motor skills. Simply cut up your favorite fruits (bananas, strawberries, peaches etc.) into bite size pieces and alternate them on a skewer. Serve with Greek yogurt mixed with maple syrup and cinnamon for dipping. Simple and fun!

Once you have finished cooking, sit with your little one and enjoy eating together. You are your child’s best teacher, so model healthy eating, and chances are your child grow up to love eating healthy food too!