Why Cooking Is A Great Learning Experience For Your Child
Hands-On Learning
Getting your kids cooking with kid-friendly recipes is one of the best ways to foster hands-on learning.
Although cooking is often seen as a life skill learned in the teen years, you can begin introducing the concept to kids at a much younger age. A great example is “ Masterchef Junior.” Those kids are doing so much at a young age!
Furthermore, this is one of the most overlooked subjects that can be used to foster much-needed educational experiences.
Life Skills Lesson Ideas
There are some great ways to cook that lead to new dimensions in your child’s learning:
Cooking provides your child(ren) with small and large motor skills practice.
Using your hands is inherent to cooking. As your child mixes the batter, pours in the liquid, and prepares other ingredients – they are getting large and small motor skill practice.
Most parents do not consider this an important aspect of overall health and development, but it does play a major role in a child’s life. It helps have better coordination.
The next time your child asks to stir the eggs, let them! They’re getting practice in more ways than one. You are helping their development. Plus it sets them up for success later in life.
When your child cooks, they are using thinking, problem-solving, and creativity skills.
The cognitive processes that happen while your child is cooking are in direct correlation to what they do with their hands and arms.
As your child is cooking, they are exercising parts of their brain that subconsciously tell their arms, hands, and fingers to move. For example, when you tell your child to stir, they don’t have to think about it, but they may need direction on how to do it. This is where critical thinking, problem-solving, and getting creative come into play. This is important to your child’s development.
Cooking with your child(ren) combines multiple learning subjects.
Again, unless you’ve taken early childhood and development classes, you may not consider the variety of learning subjects that are visible within cooking. For starters, reading and comprehending a recipe is English and Language Arts. Measuring, counting, and sequencing are all math concepts. Combining ingredients, making new consistencies, and using heat to activate it all is science. Last but not least, learning how to follow directions, following through, and having confidence are extended life skills learned from cooking.
Easy Recipes To Try
With these benefits in mind, below are three recipes your child(ren) can make that help foster fun hands-on learning.
Sloppy Joe Sliders
Ingredients:
1 can of Sloppy Joe mix
1 pound of hamburger meat (or ground turkey)
1 package of slider buns
Directions:
Cook the hamburger meat over medium to high heat, crumbling until completely brown. You may want to use a tablespoon of oil in the pan before cooking.
If necessary, drain any excess oil from the hamburger meat.
Turn the heat down between medium and medium-low. Add the can of sloppy Joe mix and stir.
Once heated, place 1-2 spoonfuls of the sloppy joe mixture onto individual slider buns and serve with your choice of side (chips pair wonderfully!).
Optional toppings to consider: sliced cheese and pickles.
Crunchy Breakfast Tacos
Ingredients:
6 large eggs
8 corn tortilla shells
1 tsp taco seasoning
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Optional toppings: Mexican-style cheese, sour cream, chopped grape tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sliced olives, and/or salsa
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (Fahrenheit). Warm the taco shells on a baking sheet, for about 5 minutes.
Crack the eggs into a bowl and add the taco seasoning. Whisk well with a fork.
Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the skillet until it begins to foam and bubble.
Add the eggs, then reduce the heat to low. Cook the eggs, stirring regularly with a wooden spatula to break them up, until they are set. (This can take 3-4 minutes.)
Line the center of each taco shell with about 2 generous tablespoons of scrambled eggs.
Top, garnish, and serve with some of the toppings of your choice.
Turkey & Cream Cheese Pinwheels
Ingredients:
4 10-inch flour tortillas
4oz of whipped cream cheese
8 slices of deli turkey (can choose different flavors and meats)
Romaine lettuce
Fresh basil leaves
Directions:
Choose the best romaine lettuce leaves and wash and dry carefully. (Try not to tear the leaves.)
Combine the cream cheese, spinach, and basil in a food processor and puree until smooth. For added flavor, consider seasoning the puree mix with a pinch of salt and pepper.
To make the pinwheel, lay one of the tortillas on a clean work surface and add one of the romaine leaves to fit neatly on top.
Place 2 slices of turkey next to each other to cover the lettuce. Spread 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture over the surface of the turkey.
Roll up the wrap tightly.
Place the wrap seam-side down.
Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Once complete, cut the wraps into 1-inch pieces and serve.
Optional: keep the pieces intact with a toothpick or skewer.
Safety First
While these recipes are ideal for children of all ages, be sure to never leave your child unattended in the kitchen. Take into consideration their level of development and give them tasks they can do and that will not put them in harm’s way.
If you have multiple children, give each one of them a job that will contribute to the overall completion of the recipe. Smaller children can do the stirring and gathering of ingredients while older children can do some of the tasks that may involve using a knife or the stove.
Always use your discretion. Some children may be ready for harder tasks, so don’t hesitate to use every moment as a learning opportunity. As your kids learn more, give them a bit more responsibility.
Final Thoughts
Allowing your child to cook not only provides them with valuable hands-on learning but also helps them learn practical valuable life skills. They’ll also build memories in the process as you spend quality time together! The next time you’re cooking in the kitchen, invite your child(ren) to help. They will be learning in more ways than one!
I’d love to hear from you! What are some of your favorite kid-friendly recipes? Share them in the comments below!
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Blessings,
Kimberly
IOH Mom
This website is not a professional counseling website and nothing here should be construed as professional counseling advice. Although Kimberly Bennett, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor, she is not your counselor, and no counselor-client relationship is established unless she has signed an agreement with you. All information provided through this website is for informational and educational purposes only.
