Cooking.
Most of us do it on a regular basis, but have you done it with your mentee?
Cooking together provides many valuable lessons and keeps their brains and
hands busy!!
Teaching
Your Child to Cook: 7 Surprising Benefits
of Cooking with Kids
Most
children have phases during childhood when baking or cooking is a keen
interest. This natural curiosity provides adults with the perfect opportunity
to capitalize on a great learning experience--the art and science of cooking.
Sadly,
many American adults do not cook, citing lack of knowledge, not enough time to
cook or shop, or having someone else in charge of cooking. In a world where
home cooked meals equal healthier fare, teaching kids to cook is a
critical element….
Not only
are kids of all ages interested in what goes on in the kitchen, there are many
benefits from getting involved. Here's just a short list of the wisdom that
gets passed on when kids cook:
1. Math
Skills: Doubling a
recipe requires addition (or multiplication) skills, halving it requires
division, and recipe fractions like 1/2 cup and 3/4 teaspoon bring math
applications into the kitchen. Often, kids don't recognize they are practicing
math!
2.
Comprehension:
Reading and understanding step-by-step directions, adding ingredients in
sequence, and techniques such as folding and blending, are all important
components to yielding the finished food product. Helping your child fine tune
his reading comprehension skills at the same time doesn't hurt!
3. Real
Life Science: Cooking
is a science experiment. Too much salt, baking powder, not enough flour, or the
wrong timing and you're likely to have a flop on your hands. Cooking provides
an opportunity for kids to get hands-on experience with basic science.
4.
Self-Esteem: Cooking
allows kids to get instant feedback, which helps them learn and grow in
self-knowledge. Learning a new skill, such as baking or cooking, is known to
help grade school children with healthy self-esteem development.
5.
Communication: A
relaxed atmosphere in the kitchen offers an opportunity to talk, about
anything! Adults can take advantage of this, especially with teens, as
communication is a key element in a well-adjusted, healthy child.
6. Life
Skills: Cooking is a
life skill, much like driving a car, learning to read, or swimming. As children
grow and get closer to adulthood, the job of feeding becomes theirs. Start the
cooking lessons at a young age so the transition to adult cook is easy later
on.
7. Fun! Last but not least, cooking is fun!
Having fun with a child in the kitchen builds positive memories, good vibes,
and good food. With all the benefits of teaching kids to cook, and no limits
with starting, what are you waiting for?
(https://www.zak.com/articles-7-surprising-benefits-of-cooking-with-kidsThis post was contributed by our partner: Just
the Right Byte
In
addition,
Exposure
to scratch cooking helps kids develop a mature palate and a taste for fresh, wholesome
ingredients. The earlier kids become accustomed to nutritious foods, the less
likely they will acquire a taste for processed foods.
Kids
are much more likely to eat what they make. Is there anything more fun than
eating your art project? Cooking creates a sense of ownership. When kids help
in the kitchen there are fewer meal-time battles and more willingness to try
new foods.
Meals
prepared from scratch usually contain more nutrients and fewer calories, chemicals
and sweeteners than pre-packaged foods and restaurant meals.
Cooking
together provides a natural way to discuss nutrition and the impact that food choices
have on the environment. The more educated children are about food, the more
likely they will appreciate your suggestions to eat something healthy.
Spending
time in the kitchen gives them confidence. Kids thrive on feeling
accomplished. Cooking is an ideal way to boost self-worth and teach
responsibility. There is nothing cuter than watching children proudly serving
their food to others.
Preparing
meals together means quality time. Cooking with children when they
are young offers an opportunity to communicate with them on a regular basis.
Your time chatting and cooking in the kitchen together becomes even more
important as they reach the adolescent and teenage years.
What
else do they learn? Science,
language, counting, fractions, budgeting, weighing, sequencing, measuring,
problem-solving, sharing, fine motor skills, reader, and learning about other
cultures- to name just a few important things!
Excerpt
from Easy Meals to Cook with Kids by Julie
Negrin © 2010
Are you
curious now? Here are some web sites
with some great ideas!!
http://www.kidspot.com.au/kitchen/occasions/cooking-with-kids
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/packages/recipes-for-kids/cooking-with-kids/
https://artfulparent.com/cooking-kids-35-fun-ideas-recipes If you try some ideas here, be sure to send me a picture!!
