Cooking with kids develops language, Reading the recipe. Telling kids instructions. Kids asking questions and getting reassurance. It’s all communication and it builds their language skills. There are words in the recipe you’re reading to them. These words cause actions that make the recipe work.
Cooking with kids develops fine motor skills. Cracking an egg or filling a measuring cup full and leveling it off are hard. Cooking is a great way to improve skills, build muscles, and master skills. This will help with later writing and other tasks.
Stirring and lifting builds muscles too. Don’t forget there is a little gross motor skill building that goes on in cooking.
Kids Cooking Activities
Cooking with kids teaches them science, from cracking an egg, baking powder or baking soda is science. Salt bringing out the flavors in the recipe is science. Sweetening from sugar or sourness from vinegar or lemon juice is science. Mixing is science. There is so much science in cooking!
Obviously, taste is a big sensory experience with cooking, but think about how slimy an egg is or the hardness of the shell. Think about the amazing aromas as you’re cooking. You can even hear mixing, frying, boiling, and other cooking techniques.
Food can be beautiful and colorful as well. There are so many colors and textures you can see. The inside of a kiwi is so interesting and gorgeous. Cooking stimulates all the senses. Taste is the most fun of them all. Get in there and smell that!
So, enjoy cooking with your little ones and most importantly have fun while doing it.
At Rising Stride Child Care Center, we love celebrating the surge of exploration preschoolers exhibit, and we capitalize on it with our Preschool programs. See all that we have to offer. We think you will love it!